Three Ladies at WDW-Day 4

[BrerGnat]

Thursday, February 15

Cynthia's Surprise Birthday Celebration

We woke up early again today and for the first time, we actually were OUT THE DOOR at 8:30am! I could not believe it. So, Andrea and I had planned a special surprise for Cynthia's birthday behind her back. We had to be at the MK at 9:15, but we just pretended that we WANTED to be at the MK by 9:15.

We arrived around 8:50 and Cynthia immediately asked if she could get a cinnamon roll and coffee at the bakery. After a quick sidelong glance at Andrea, I told her, "sure...but let's hurry up, there's probably a long line". She was like "this early?". I reminded her that it was an EMH day and the park had been open since 8am. Sure enough there was a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG line at the bakery. Andrea started looking nervous, but I reassured her that we had enough time. We hung out in the glass shop for about 10 minutes, then I took leave and headed back to Town Square on my secret mission.

At 9:15, I called Andrea's cell phone and told her "you guys need to get over here...now". Seconds later, I saw them walking towards me. Cynthia looked totally confused. As they approached me, I took my hands from behind my back and said "Surprise...Happy Birthday!!!" and handed Cynthia a nametag, birthday button (okay, so it wasn't her birthday until the next day, but we were celebrating it TODAY), and a special "Backstage pass". Yes, we were going on the Keys to the Kingdom tour!!!

Andrea and I decided to book this tour and pay for Cynthia as a birthday gift. We had all been to WDW countless times, but had never taken a tour, so we thought it would be fun, and a bit different from our normal routine. After Cynthia and Andrea chose their lunch options, our tour guide came out and got us all set up with headsets and we were on our way right at 9:30.

I am not going to go into details of this tour, but I will say that this is probably THE BEST 5 hours I have ever spent in the Magic Kingdom! This tour was so eye opening, interesting, and magical. Our tour guide, Rae, was the epitome of Cast Member Excellence (she even won the coveted "Partners in Excellence" Award). She was funny, VERY well informed, and told us so many personal experience stories which really were wonderful to hear. We were lucky enough to be able to sit with her at lunch, so we got to speak to her one-on-one for a bit. She really did a wonderful job on the tour and if any of you ever have her as a tourguide in the future (she also does Backstage Magic), you are really in for a treat!

The tour ended around 2:45, and we all had very tired feet, but were SO glad we did it. Cynthia had honestly seemed a bit skeptical when the tour started but by the end, she had really gotten into it, asking questions, giving answers to "trivia", etc. She was really surprised that these tours even existed...she had no idea, and then she spent a good bit of time asking me what other tours were available. We all agreed that if we ever go together again, we are DEFINITELY doing the Backstage Magic tour.

After the tour, we stopped in at the bakery and Cynthia got a brownie. It was very cloudy and had gotten suddenly COLD, so Andrea and I held off on a snack until we could find something warm. We decided to head over to Tomorrowland. We did the Carousel of Progress (Cynthia's request...today is HER day, after all) and enjoyed it, although we did laugh a bit at how "outdated" the last scene already is. They need to replace that girl's ski boots, especially, and they really should replace the VR video game with a Nintendo Wii.

After CoP, we rode the TTA, then hopped on Space Mountain. We got FP for Buzz, then went over to get some hot chocolate. We drank it inside Star Traders because it was warm in there. We rode Buzz and I FINALLY hit that 100,000 point target in the first room. My final score was over 300,000...the first time I actually scored anywhere near that high.

After Buzz, Cynthia and I rode the teacups and we spun it so fast that I got blisters. Andrea took a little video clip of us spinning and it's pretty funny how much faster we are going than everyone else.

After that, we had to head back to the hotel. We had 6:10 ADR at California Grill, so we needed to go freshen up and get "dressed up" for dinner.

We returned to the hotel rather quickly (for the first time) and got changed and ready by 5:30.

(to be continued)

[BrerGnat]

We arrived at CA grill right around 6:10. We checked in at the podium and the CM asked "who is Cynthia" then told her "Happy Birthday". We got in the elevator and went right up and got seated right away. We did not have a window table, but that was okay. The restaurant was PACKED, so I was actually glad that we were seated right away.

My first impression of this restaurant was that it was very bright, EXTREMELY loud, and FULL OF KIDS. I was honestly really shocked. I have been to many fine dining spots, and truthfully, this place had the air of a Chili's. Now, I am all for people bringing their children to nice restaurants if they are well behaved, but I really feel that many of the parents here didn't give a hoot about the other diners, because there were more kids behaving like complete animals than kids behaving as they should have been. We were literally surrounded on all sides by tables occupied with children under the age of 6. These kids were standing on their chairs, jumping up and down, leaning back. One girl, about 3 years old at the neighboring table actually tipped backward in her chair and hit her head on the floor, causing a HUMONGOUS fuss over her by her parents and about 15 minutes of very intense screaming and crying (her mother really should have taken her out of the dining room...either down to the lobby or the bathroom or something). This same table had 4 other kids, and in order to keep the kids "quiet" during dinnertime, they presented them with presents. Guess what the presents were...candy. Great idea. These kids seriously were way too wired for the rest of the meal. It was beyond inconsiderate. Besides that table, there were two children at a table next to us that were watching a DVD of an Anime movie on a portable DVD player. Did they wear headphones? No. Again, WHAT were those parents thinking. So, we got to hear all about the adventures of Pokemon, or whatever it was. I attributed the excess of children to the fact that the fireworks were scheduled for 7pm that night, but still, it was beyond ridiculous. Add to that the screaming from the chefs in the kitchen, the waiters yelling to each other and the kitchen staff over the noise, and you get the picture. One waiter actually passed by our table and, under his breath, said “stupid people”. I have no idea who he was referring to, but he WAS the waiter for the table that had most of the misbehaving kids.

Ok, so I digressed a bit, but sadly, the atmosphere of the restaurant was not the only low point. Our service was beyond slow. We had been sitting close to 15 minutes before we were even acknowledged by our waiter. By the time he came over to give us water, we already had decided what we wanted to eat, and we were starving, so we went ahead and ordered our appetizers and main courses. We practically had to beg for bread, and we opted to buy a bottle of wine, and at least the waiter was very helpful in assisting us with choosing. He brought us taste samples of three different bottles of the same type of wine, so we could find the one that we liked best. He was very knowledgeable about the wine, so we give him an A+ for that. Also, he was really a very nice man, but he was a bit older, and he did everything very very slowly, which seemed in stark contrast to the mayhem surrounding us. He seemed as though he was moving in slow motion while everyone else in the restaurant (mainly the servers and other staff) seemed to be going in fast forward. It was a bit strange. By the time we finally got our glass of wine, the fireworks started (for those of you keeping track, we were seated at 6:15…the fireworks started at 7:00…all we had at this point was bread and wine).

Now, I know everyone wants to know how the food was. Am I right? Well, here is what we ordered (we had decided we’d each get a “meal”, but then we would just share all around). For starters, Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli, the BBQ Chicken Flatbread, and the 3 (or was it 4) Cheese Flatbread. Both of the flatbreads were excellent, although the cheese one was better. The ravioli was declared “delicious” by Cynthia and Andrea, although I did not partake, as I am NOT a fan of goat cheese. For entrees, we got the Oak Fired Filet, which came with broccolini and Guyere Potato Pave; the Pork Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Polenta and Mushroom Sauce; and the Lasagna, which was a vegetarian dish. For dessert, we got 3 of the Valhrona Molten Chocolate cakes, two with the PB&J ice cream, one with plain vanilla. The PB&J ice cream had a good flavor, but it was very icy, not creamy at all. The vanilla was very good.

Overall, everything was good, although I have to say in general, I thought the food was overpriced for what it was. I was not bowled over by the filet, as I expected to be based on all the reviews of this restaurant I have read. I actually had better filet a few months ago at a wedding, of all places. I found the dessert, in particular to be overpriced, as it was a tiny cake and a TINY scoop of ice cream (seriously, it was like a 2oz scoop). However, we were on the dining plan, and our grand total with tip was close to $230. The wine was $40 of that, though.

During dinner, we did get our picture taken and at the end of the meal, Cynthia was presented with the print of the photo inside a Happy Birthday from the California Grill card. It was a nice surprise.

We paid the bill and left just after 9pm (yes, it was a three hour meal….a THREE HOUR MEAL). We left humming the Gilligan’s Island theme song when we realized how long our meal had taken. We exited the Contemporary on the back side to take the boat to the WL. When we got out there, we were nipped in the bud by the FREEZING cold wind. We were all wearing “fancy pants” outfits, and sandals. We were not dressed appropriately at all. We briefly considered going back in, taking the monorail to the TTC, then catching a bus to the WL, but realized that would take forever and we just wanted to get to the WL and sit in front of the nice warm fireplace for awhile. We stood on the boat dock and joked about how cold it really was. Cynthia said “it’s like…Titanic cold out here.” Then, she did an amazing impression of Rose… “Jack! Wake up…I see a boat…Jack?…I’ll never let go Jack…I’ll never let go…come back….come baaaaack”. It was really funny since she had lost her voice earlier screaming on Space Mountain, so she sounded exactly like Rose, cracking voice and all. We stood there for a long time. We watched little lights go back and forth over the water, but none of the boats came to us. Finally a boat pulled up, but it was so weird…it was all dark and was bumping some SERIOUS dance-club style music. We were like “oh, it must be a private charter party boat.” Well, we were wrong. The boat docked and there were two crew members aboard, and one jumped off and started pulling the boat to the dock with the rope and she called out to us “sorry girls, this boat is a training boat.” I replied “we don’t mind…want to practice going to the Wilderness Lodge?” She asked the trainee “want to go to the Lodge” and he said “Sure!”. We thanked them profusely and got on so fast it probably left a blur. Cynthia said “you can practice full speed ahead if you want.” The trainee noticed how cold we were and offered us this little heat pouch he had in his jacket pocket, just so we could warm up our hands. Now, THAT is what I call Disney Magic. J

When we got back to the Lodge, we smelled some serious smoke and immediately thought “oh my gosh, the Lodge is on fire!”. It wasn’t though, but even the boat crew was like “it smells like smoke over here…that’s not good.” We went inside and sat for awhile in front of the grand fireplace, just taking in the lobby and all it’s architectural details. I could do that for hours.

We went back up to our room and planned out our final day L We had a lot we wanted to get done so we went to bed early so we could be well rested.

Coming up: Day 5…Cynthia’s REAL birthday and our last day at WDW.

[KylesMom]

What a fabulous day you planned for Cynthia! The tour and the day in general was top-notch.

I'm sorry that the Cali Grill wasn't up to expectations - DH has no desire to try it so we've never been, but I know I'd be awfully disappointed if the circus you described showed up.

Thanks for sharing your day with us!

[BrerGnat]

You know, I had been looking SO forward to that meal since we ended up missing it on our honeymoon 5 years ago. I really wish it had been fantastic...but sadly, I don't think I'll return unless they make some changes to the atmosphere up there. The view was something, though!

On a related note, less than half of the patrons were wearing "business casual" dress. MOST walked in as though they had monorailed directly from the MK...sporting jeans and WDW t-shirts, hats, and backpacks. One guy was dressed "gym teacher" style, with a t-shirt and nylon shorts with running shoes and NO SOCKS!

If they are going to have a dress code, they should turn people away who do not meet the requirements. It's not like their business would suffer...

[Bethis26fan]

Sounds like you had a great time.

[DisneyGRL7]

I'm really sorry to here about all the disruptions at CA Grill. When we booked our reservations there, we were under the impression that it was a "kids-free" restaurant, not that we minded having kids around. I was so surprised when we arrived and there really was kids everywhere! The families seated around us were pretty quite though from what I remember.

Sounds like a great day overall!

[faline]

Sorry your dinner was a disappointment. We dined there a few weeks ago and had a lovely meal. Yes, it did take a while but we paced ourselves from appetizers through desserts and, fortunately, any children in our immediate vicinity were very well behaved.

The rest of your day sounds wonderful! I'm glad you enjoyed the tour so much. I think I had the same tour guide when I did the Keys tour.

[offwego]

Sorry about your dinner.

Sounds like an amazing time on the tour though.

I hope your friends real birthday is just as much fun.

[Goodwife]

Did I miss Day 5?
Thanks for the great report...and sorry about the disappointing dinner.
I think the only restaurant at WDW now that would really be considered "fine dining" is probably Victoria and Albert's, and we've never been there, but just from what I've read.

[BrerGnat]

Did I miss Day 5?
Thanks for the great report...and sorry about the disappointing dinner.
I think the only restaurant at WDW now that would really be considered "fine dining" is probably Victoria and Albert's, and we've never been there, but just from what I've read.

No, I haven't posted day 5 yet.

Funny you should mention V&A's. At one point during dinner, Cynthia said "why are there so many kids here?" and I told her "because we're in Disney World. You can't exactly ban kids from the restaurants, except at Victoria and Albert's...that's the only one where kids are not allowed." So, she replied "then why didn't we go to Victoria & Albert's?"

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the report!

[SBETigg]

I almost missed the birthday! I'm glad I found it for the CA Grill review. I made my anniversary dinner ADRs there for August, the one meal we are doing without the kids(teens, headed to MK without us that night). Maybe we should rethink that. Hmm. I didn't realize it was quite that noisy.

[ChipnDaleGal]

That tour was a wonderful birthday present and I am glad that you all enjoyed it so much. Sorry that you had some issues at dinner, but overall another nice day. Thanks for reporting.

[dtootsie42]

I have really enjoyed reading your trip report. I'm so sorry that there were several issues at dinner. I have heard other complaints about the California Grill which is pretty sad. We went several years ago and had a really special dinner. Due to the negative reports we have heard we have decided not to try it again when we go in December.

[TKDisneylover]

I enjoyed reading day 4. What a disappointment at dinner! Dh & I have been considering reservations there for our anniversary dinner. I think we may need to choose a different restaurant! I suppose it's the earlier fireworks schedule that brings in more families.

Looking forward to day 5.

[Goodwife]

Natalie, thanks for responding...glad I haven't missed anything; and looking forward to the rest of the report.
I laughed at your comments about
Victoria and Alberts~"should have gone there". Maybe next time!

[Disney5Mom]

We had a similar experience at the California Grill in January. Sounds like you had a great trip otherwise.

[DizNee143]

im sorry dinner wasnt as great as you thought it was going to be...but im glad you still had a good time taking the Keys to the Kingdom tour!! that really is a great tour...ive done it also...and its been like 5 years..im considering doing it again one day soon...

[ElenitaB]

Sounds like a great day... in spite of the profusion of ill-behaved rugrats at CG. You two are wonderful friends... what a great day you planned!

On to read about Cynthia's "real" birthday!

[thejens]

Thanks for your great report. I love imagining what it would be like at DW without kids! I have had a great experience at CG (but slow service also) with my two kids. However, I always make sure my kids are quiet and well behaved. It is amazing to me how many parents refuse to discipline their children! And to watch a video during dinner!? Naturally no children are perfect, but I do think it is the parents responsibility to be considerate of others. My parents used to take us out to "practice restaurants" before we went on vacation with my grandparents. As kids we knew how to behave. Sorry to rant but this is one of my peeves in the parks!!!