The Whole Enchilada - a 2 week CSR trip & food report combo
- Thread starter momof2disprincesses
- Start date
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
Learned something new, I didn't know that they had EMH during the winter season, and were open so late! I will have to remember that as I plan our trip!
Loving your report, thanks!
Thanks so much for following along!
They had insane EMH at MK during our 2 week trip over Christmas/New Years. That day, I believe MK was open from 7am-3am. I don't know how they have time to prep it to be open the next day.
We've done EMH at MK before when it's been open until 3am and it's a GREAT time to go because after like 11pm, it really thins out and IF you can stay awake until 3am, you will have no crowds at all to deal with. By the time we left, everything was walk on.
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
Subbing along-really enjoying your trip report!
SO sorry you rained out during the Candlelight Processional! We like Steven Curtis Chapman too
Thanks so much for following along and your kind words!
It was a bummer to wait 45 minutes in line only to see 15 minutes of the show, but later in the week we got to see the CP with Amy Grant. I've been a fan of hers since I was a little girl, so that was completely amazing! More on that and the rest of our adventures coming up.
lovelygirl1975
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2013
Hi! Subbing! I am enjoying the pics in your report. We absolutely love CSR and seeing your pics I immediately want to go back. We enjoy using the dining plan too. Kudos to you guys for pulling off 4 parks in one day!!! I am not sure I could have made it. Of course all those yummy snacks might helped me keep going, especially the Plaza at 2 a.m. I would have been grinning about that. DH and I just tried Beaches and Cream for the first time a few weeks ago. I have totally got to try that dessert with the Oreos the next time we go back.
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
Thank you so much for the nice comments and for following along. It is so much fun to write a trip report and re-live all the wonderful memories.
Conclusion of Monday, Dec. 23
So we had a really nice dinner at LaHacienda de San Angel.
I know I took pictures of the chips & salsa but I cannot seem to find them. SORRY about that! They were good!
DH and I split this:
La Hacienda - Mixed grill offering New York strip, chicken al pastor, chorizo and vegetables, served with beans and fresh salsas $49.95
I especially liked the chicken. This time around, the steak was fatty and chewy and we didn't finish it all. When DH and I ate there last June, the steak was much better. Maybe it was just an off night. None of us really liked the little sausages, so those kind of went to waste too. I guess we should have just all gotten the chicken.
Both DD's got this:
Pollo al Pastor - Achiote marinated chicken served with roasted vegetables, beans and pineapple relish $24.95
It came with beans & rice and extra tortillas
For dessert, two of us got this:
Empanada de Manzana - puff pastry filled with sauteed caramel apples, served with dulce de leche ice cream and cajeta (caramel sauce) $7.95
And 2 of us got the churros (not listed on allears menu):
We finished up our dessert and settled the check and shortly after, Illuminations started. It is such a nice way to watch this show - sitting inside with the audio pumped in. They darken the restaurant too. LOVE IT!
After our lovely dinner, we made our way back to the entrance to leave and had to stop by the photo store to pick up our free Disney Visa pictures. YES, I said pictures. I had learned on the dis before our trip that if you had a Disney Visa reward card (the card you get by earning points and cashing them in) PLUS a regular Disney Visa credit card, you could get 2 free 5 x 7 photos. This is indeed true! So that was a nice perk!!
The line was insanely slow to pick up pictures. I seriously think we waited about 30 minutes to get them. That wasn't fun but when we got up there, DD21 and I picked our 2 pictures within seconds and they printed them and we were on our way. The CM said we were his most decisive family of the day and thanked us for being quick! We actually just got 2 copies of our 1 favorite picture so DD21 could take one and I'd have one (she lives in MN, we live in WI).
Then it was back to our lovely beds at CSR and off to sleep. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!!!!
I can't wait to share the hundreds of photos I took on Christmas Eve and Day. They were both extremely magical days.
Once again, thanks so much to those who are following along and commenting. I love sharing this!
Conclusion of Monday, Dec. 23
So we had a really nice dinner at LaHacienda de San Angel.
I know I took pictures of the chips & salsa but I cannot seem to find them. SORRY about that! They were good!
DH and I split this:
La Hacienda - Mixed grill offering New York strip, chicken al pastor, chorizo and vegetables, served with beans and fresh salsas $49.95
I especially liked the chicken. This time around, the steak was fatty and chewy and we didn't finish it all. When DH and I ate there last June, the steak was much better. Maybe it was just an off night. None of us really liked the little sausages, so those kind of went to waste too. I guess we should have just all gotten the chicken.
Both DD's got this:
Pollo al Pastor - Achiote marinated chicken served with roasted vegetables, beans and pineapple relish $24.95
It came with beans & rice and extra tortillas
For dessert, two of us got this:
Empanada de Manzana - puff pastry filled with sauteed caramel apples, served with dulce de leche ice cream and cajeta (caramel sauce) $7.95
And 2 of us got the churros (not listed on allears menu):
We finished up our dessert and settled the check and shortly after, Illuminations started. It is such a nice way to watch this show - sitting inside with the audio pumped in. They darken the restaurant too. LOVE IT!
After our lovely dinner, we made our way back to the entrance to leave and had to stop by the photo store to pick up our free Disney Visa pictures. YES, I said pictures. I had learned on the dis before our trip that if you had a Disney Visa reward card (the card you get by earning points and cashing them in) PLUS a regular Disney Visa credit card, you could get 2 free 5 x 7 photos. This is indeed true! So that was a nice perk!!
The line was insanely slow to pick up pictures. I seriously think we waited about 30 minutes to get them. That wasn't fun but when we got up there, DD21 and I picked our 2 pictures within seconds and they printed them and we were on our way. The CM said we were his most decisive family of the day and thanked us for being quick! We actually just got 2 copies of our 1 favorite picture so DD21 could take one and I'd have one (she lives in MN, we live in WI).
Then it was back to our lovely beds at CSR and off to sleep. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!!!!
I can't wait to share the hundreds of photos I took on Christmas Eve and Day. They were both extremely magical days.
Once again, thanks so much to those who are following along and commenting. I love sharing this!
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
Here's the photo we got two copies of for FREE the night before using our Disney Visa reward and credit card.
Sorry about the glare in the middle. I took a picture of the photo with my iphone and I have no idea how to turn off the flash.
Okay, now onto Christmas Eve at Walt Disney World!
The night before, we got back to the room around 11:30pm. So we slept in on Christmas Eve until about 8:30am. We had a 10:30am ADR at Boma.
We are DVC members and our home resort is AKV. It is pretty much my favorite place on earth. I am in love with Animal Kingdom Lodge.
We bought into DVC in 2008 while on a cruise. We had never even stepped foot onto the property at Animal Kingdom Lodge when we bought our first 225 points there. But, let me tell you - when we first stayed there, we knew we had made a wise choice!!
So it was nice to go for a visit and breakfast.
BOMA!
And now the food! Here are some of our various plates:
Some buffet photos:
That French toast bread pudding was YUMMY!!
When we left, the restaurant was basically empty. Sorry this is so dark.
I know I have more pictures. For some reason, my photos on photobucket are a MESS! I have photos from years past all mixed in with my photos from this trip and it's taking forever to get through them.
I will finish up our breakfast report in the next post.
Sorry about the glare in the middle. I took a picture of the photo with my iphone and I have no idea how to turn off the flash.
Okay, now onto Christmas Eve at Walt Disney World!
The night before, we got back to the room around 11:30pm. So we slept in on Christmas Eve until about 8:30am. We had a 10:30am ADR at Boma.
We are DVC members and our home resort is AKV. It is pretty much my favorite place on earth. I am in love with Animal Kingdom Lodge.
We bought into DVC in 2008 while on a cruise. We had never even stepped foot onto the property at Animal Kingdom Lodge when we bought our first 225 points there. But, let me tell you - when we first stayed there, we knew we had made a wise choice!!So it was nice to go for a visit and breakfast.
BOMA!
And now the food! Here are some of our various plates:
Some buffet photos:
That French toast bread pudding was YUMMY!!
When we left, the restaurant was basically empty. Sorry this is so dark.
I know I have more pictures. For some reason, my photos on photobucket are a MESS! I have photos from years past all mixed in with my photos from this trip and it's taking forever to get through them.
I will finish up our breakfast report in the next post.
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
UGH! I am having even more issues with photobucket. As I said before, all of my pictures are all combined and I have thousands of pictures on photobucket. So I'll have 1 from this trip and next to it is 1 from 2010 and then next to that is 1 from last summer. So I attempted to organize them and move some. It appears that made the problem worse and now some of my photos from this report are missing. Sorry! I will do my best to move forward and share as many photos as I can find from this trip. If anyone has any advice, I'd love to hear it.
So back to our Boma breakfast on Christmas Eve morning. I did find ta few more photos.
Our server for this meal was Cynthia. She was so funny. We had such a good time with her, so I asked her to pose for this picture with my DH. You can just see her spunky personality from this photo. She helped make our Christmas Eve breakfast extra wonderful.
More photos of our Boma breakfast:
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we gave out these little treat packets. We had made 40 of them total. We left one for our great server Cynthia.
It was so much fun giving these out to CM's. I have a cute story about this on Christmas day that will come later.
After breakfast, we stopped in the store at Jambo House and did a little shopping and visited more with CM's.
We handed out a few more treat packets to the CM's at the store and then left to go mini golfing!
That is coming up in the next post.
So back to our Boma breakfast on Christmas Eve morning. I did find ta few more photos.
Our server for this meal was Cynthia. She was so funny. We had such a good time with her, so I asked her to pose for this picture with my DH. You can just see her spunky personality from this photo. She helped make our Christmas Eve breakfast extra wonderful.
More photos of our Boma breakfast:
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we gave out these little treat packets. We had made 40 of them total. We left one for our great server Cynthia.
It was so much fun giving these out to CM's. I have a cute story about this on Christmas day that will come later.
After breakfast, we stopped in the store at Jambo House and did a little shopping and visited more with CM's.
We handed out a few more treat packets to the CM's at the store and then left to go mini golfing!
That is coming up in the next post.
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
Christmas Eve continued...
After our lovely breakfast at Boma, we drove over to Winter Summerland to play mini golf. We did this once before around Christmas time and did the winter side. This time, we decided to do the summer side.
We had purchased a WDW package this trip and it included 2 free rounds of mini golf. So we used the 2 free passes and then paid for the other 2. I knew there were discounts for AP holders and DVC members, so I asked what the discount was for each and showed both my AP and DVC cards. The lady working told me it was a 15% discount. I even questioned her as I knew this didn't sound right. I thought it was like 50%. She was a little grumpy and told me it was 15% and did I want to make the purchase. I did and we went on to have a super fun time.
Side note: I did check our AP brochure when we got back to the room later that day and sure enough, it was a 50% discount for AP holders. The DVC discount is 15%. So, she did overcharge us and we went back a few days later with the receipt to get our money back (the difference). Of course, it was the same grumpy lady when we went back. I explained to her what happened and she said, "I remember you. You never said you had an AP - just DVC." I asked to speak to her supervisor. He was very nice and refunded us the $11 difference, all the while she was mumbling under her breath that I never told her I had an AP. It was not a pleasant exchange but I knew we had been short-changed and wanted to make it right.
We made a little "wager" amongst us before we got started. At this time, it was about 1pm and we were scheduled to volunteer at Give Kids the World at 6:30pm.
So that meant after mini golf, we had a few hours to kill, so our "wager" was that whoever won got to pick our afternoon activity.
Here are a lot of photos of our fun time playing mini golf.
DD21 is going to kill me when she sees this one:
As we were walking back to the car after, our 2 DD's were ahead of us walking like this. I couldn't help but snap this wonderful photo of them.
So, you'll never guess who the winner was...the baby of our family - DD17 (Kaylee). So we asked her what she wanted to do next and being the baby of the family and it being Christmas Eve she said "open presents!"
So we headed back to the room to do just that.
After our lovely breakfast at Boma, we drove over to Winter Summerland to play mini golf. We did this once before around Christmas time and did the winter side. This time, we decided to do the summer side.
We had purchased a WDW package this trip and it included 2 free rounds of mini golf. So we used the 2 free passes and then paid for the other 2. I knew there were discounts for AP holders and DVC members, so I asked what the discount was for each and showed both my AP and DVC cards. The lady working told me it was a 15% discount. I even questioned her as I knew this didn't sound right. I thought it was like 50%. She was a little grumpy and told me it was 15% and did I want to make the purchase. I did and we went on to have a super fun time.
Side note: I did check our AP brochure when we got back to the room later that day and sure enough, it was a 50% discount for AP holders. The DVC discount is 15%. So, she did overcharge us and we went back a few days later with the receipt to get our money back (the difference). Of course, it was the same grumpy lady when we went back. I explained to her what happened and she said, "I remember you. You never said you had an AP - just DVC." I asked to speak to her supervisor. He was very nice and refunded us the $11 difference, all the while she was mumbling under her breath that I never told her I had an AP. It was not a pleasant exchange but I knew we had been short-changed and wanted to make it right.
We made a little "wager" amongst us before we got started. At this time, it was about 1pm and we were scheduled to volunteer at Give Kids the World at 6:30pm.
So that meant after mini golf, we had a few hours to kill, so our "wager" was that whoever won got to pick our afternoon activity.
Here are a lot of photos of our fun time playing mini golf.
DD21 is going to kill me when she sees this one:
As we were walking back to the car after, our 2 DD's were ahead of us walking like this. I couldn't help but snap this wonderful photo of them.
So, you'll never guess who the winner was...the baby of our family - DD17 (Kaylee). So we asked her what she wanted to do next and being the baby of the family and it being Christmas Eve she said "open presents!"
So we headed back to the room to do just that.
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
So it is time for presents!
We LOVE Christmas in our family. I mean LOVE it and usually do it up pretty big.
This year was a little different. We had bought new iphones for DH, DD21 and DD17 the week of Thanksgiving (I already have one through work). So that was one gift for everyone. Plus of course, 2 weeks at Disney was another HUGE part of their gifts.
So we did something completely different this year. We exchanged names and put a $100 limit on gifts. It was really fun!
It worked out really cool too. DH got DD17. DD17 got me. I got DD21. DD21 got DH. So each parent got a child and each child got a parent.
So here is everyone with their little pile of gifts to open.
DD17 is a Dr. Who lover. This was her favorite gift (sonic screwdriver).
FYI - there is also a picture of me with my gifts but being that I am writing the TR, I can skip pictures of myself that I don't like.
I can't believe I didn't get a picture of this, but my DD's (mostly DD21) made me the most amazing & beautiful scrapbook of all of our Disney memories. BEST GIFT EVER!!!!
It is a work in progress since we will have many more Disney trips to come. Seriously, the time and love she put into this is awesome. I have always said I wished for something like that because I don't have much creativity or patience for long projects. So for her to do that for me was so thoughtful and sweet and loving.
Before this gift, I always said the best gift I ever got was from DH the first year we were married. He got me a rocking chair and said it was "to rock our future children in". That rocking chair still sits in our living room today. I did rock my babies in it and I still love sitting in it.
We LOVE Christmas in our family. I mean LOVE it and usually do it up pretty big.
This year was a little different. We had bought new iphones for DH, DD21 and DD17 the week of Thanksgiving (I already have one through work). So that was one gift for everyone. Plus of course, 2 weeks at Disney was another HUGE part of their gifts.
So we did something completely different this year. We exchanged names and put a $100 limit on gifts. It was really fun!
It worked out really cool too. DH got DD17. DD17 got me. I got DD21. DD21 got DH. So each parent got a child and each child got a parent.
So here is everyone with their little pile of gifts to open.
DD17 is a Dr. Who lover. This was her favorite gift (sonic screwdriver).
FYI - there is also a picture of me with my gifts but being that I am writing the TR, I can skip pictures of myself that I don't like.
I can't believe I didn't get a picture of this, but my DD's (mostly DD21) made me the most amazing & beautiful scrapbook of all of our Disney memories. BEST GIFT EVER!!!!
It is a work in progress since we will have many more Disney trips to come. Seriously, the time and love she put into this is awesome. I have always said I wished for something like that because I don't have much creativity or patience for long projects. So for her to do that for me was so thoughtful and sweet and loving.
Before this gift, I always said the best gift I ever got was from DH the first year we were married. He got me a rocking chair and said it was "to rock our future children in". That rocking chair still sits in our living room today. I did rock my babies in it and I still love sitting in it.
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
Christmas Eve continued...
After we opened our gifts and enjoyed them in the room for awhile, it was time to volunteer!
Last June (2012) we volunteered as a family for the first time at Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee. We had seen something about this amazing place on TV once when we were at Disney on another trip and we said we wanted to try volunteering there.
So I checked out their website and found out how it all worked and we volunteered for a shift in June at a part of the village called Katie's Kitchen. We loved it so much, we signed up for 2 volunteer shifts for this trip.
This was the first of our 2. We figured what better way to spend Christmas Eve night than volunteering.
The event we volunteered for this shift was Mayor Clayton's Surprise Birthday Party. Families at GKTW come for an all expense one week stay. They are there through wish-granting organizations like Make-a-Wish. They have their own villa to stay in and theme park tickets, food and other things are provided to them. Each week, they have this event. Mayor Clayton is their "Mickey Mouse" - their mascot.
Our GPS said the village was a 15 minute drive, so we left 45 minutes early to allow for traffic. Oh my goodness! We did not allow enough time for traffic. Our GPS took us past the big Wal-Mart near Disney property. WOW! I could see how a lot of other people were spending their Christmas Eve nights - SHOPPING at Wal-Mart. The traffic was so backed up and we didn't know another route (we figured out a new route for the next volunteer shift). So, we arrived right at 6:30pm - when our shift started.
Luckily because we'd been there before, we knew right where to go and speed walked to Volunteer Services. They were doing an orientation for that night's volunteers and we walked in just a few minutes late.
Basically our "job" for this event was to each oversee a game for the party. DD21 and DH got to wear wonderful bunny ears and have kids try to land rings on the ears. That was fun to watch! DD17 and I were assigned to a regular ring toss game.
It was fun interacting with the families and especially the children! We had a few that we really bonded with and we left feeling great about helping out.
You obviously cannot take photos of the families or kids, so I didn't take any photos after we were inside the village. These are the few I took as we arrived.
This is the main entrance building. Right after we volunteered, they closed down for 2 weeks and tore this building down and did an extreme village makeover, complete with Ty from Extreme Home Makeover and Good Morning America covered it (we loved seeing it on TV after we got home).
My real-life job is as a Volunteer Services Manager, so I know how critical and important volunteers are. It is so great to give back! If any of you ever have the desire to help at Give Kids the World Village, I strongly encourage you to do so. It is an amazing place and you leave feeling very rewarded. It really adds something extra special to a Disney vacation.
After our evening at this special place, we drove back to CSR and hit the hay. Up next, IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!
After we opened our gifts and enjoyed them in the room for awhile, it was time to volunteer!
Last June (2012) we volunteered as a family for the first time at Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee. We had seen something about this amazing place on TV once when we were at Disney on another trip and we said we wanted to try volunteering there.
So I checked out their website and found out how it all worked and we volunteered for a shift in June at a part of the village called Katie's Kitchen. We loved it so much, we signed up for 2 volunteer shifts for this trip.
This was the first of our 2. We figured what better way to spend Christmas Eve night than volunteering.
The event we volunteered for this shift was Mayor Clayton's Surprise Birthday Party. Families at GKTW come for an all expense one week stay. They are there through wish-granting organizations like Make-a-Wish. They have their own villa to stay in and theme park tickets, food and other things are provided to them. Each week, they have this event. Mayor Clayton is their "Mickey Mouse" - their mascot.
Our GPS said the village was a 15 minute drive, so we left 45 minutes early to allow for traffic. Oh my goodness! We did not allow enough time for traffic. Our GPS took us past the big Wal-Mart near Disney property. WOW! I could see how a lot of other people were spending their Christmas Eve nights - SHOPPING at Wal-Mart. The traffic was so backed up and we didn't know another route (we figured out a new route for the next volunteer shift). So, we arrived right at 6:30pm - when our shift started.
Luckily because we'd been there before, we knew right where to go and speed walked to Volunteer Services. They were doing an orientation for that night's volunteers and we walked in just a few minutes late.
Basically our "job" for this event was to each oversee a game for the party. DD21 and DH got to wear wonderful bunny ears and have kids try to land rings on the ears. That was fun to watch! DD17 and I were assigned to a regular ring toss game.
It was fun interacting with the families and especially the children! We had a few that we really bonded with and we left feeling great about helping out.
You obviously cannot take photos of the families or kids, so I didn't take any photos after we were inside the village. These are the few I took as we arrived.
This is the main entrance building. Right after we volunteered, they closed down for 2 weeks and tore this building down and did an extreme village makeover, complete with Ty from Extreme Home Makeover and Good Morning America covered it (we loved seeing it on TV after we got home).
My real-life job is as a Volunteer Services Manager, so I know how critical and important volunteers are. It is so great to give back! If any of you ever have the desire to help at Give Kids the World Village, I strongly encourage you to do so. It is an amazing place and you leave feeling very rewarded. It really adds something extra special to a Disney vacation.
After our evening at this special place, we drove back to CSR and hit the hay. Up next, IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
Christmas Day 2013!
Merry Christmas everyone!
Since we had opened up our presents the day before, Christmas morning was pretty low key for our family. We had decided the night before that we wanted to go see the movie "Saving Mr. Banks" and decided on the 10:30am showing at Downtown Disney AMC.
So we woke up around 8:30am and got ready and drove down to DTD. They had advised us when we checked in NOT to drive to DTD because of the parking lot construction, but we figured this early on Christmas morning, we should be okay. And we were correct. There was actually plenty of parking when we arrived.
We got our tickets and enjoyed popcorn, soda and candy for our Christmas morning "brunch" and LOVED the movie! I'm sure many of you have seen it now that its been out for awhile but I really was looking forward to this movie and to me, it did not disappoint. It was very good!
After the movie, we walked around DTD and by this time, it was getting VERY crowded.
DD21 had studied abroad in India last year for her spring semester 2013. So when I told her DTD had food trucks, one being Indian food, she had to try it.
We located the food truck but found out it didn't open until 4:30pm. I think at this time, it was like 3:30, but we waited because she SO wanted the butter chicken she saw on the menu.
DD21 enjoyed every last taste of this. She said it made her feel like being in India again.
This food truck also pulled up and opened slightly after Namaste Cafe. They were both located by Circque de Soleil.
DD17 also found a Magic Kingdom themed food cart that sold the ham & cheese sandwich you can get at Be Our Guest. She shared this with me.
Each meal was 1 CS credit on the ddp.
We also handed more of these goodie bags to CM's working on Christmas. Everyone we gave one too enjoyed it very much and thanked us profusely. It was fun doing something special for those who had to work to help make our Christmas fun.
My girls!
It was a fun way to spend Christmas day. We didn't feel like fighting the crowds at all the parks, so this was relaxing and very enjoyable.
Up next - our incredible Christmas night meal at California Grill!
Merry Christmas everyone!
Since we had opened up our presents the day before, Christmas morning was pretty low key for our family. We had decided the night before that we wanted to go see the movie "Saving Mr. Banks" and decided on the 10:30am showing at Downtown Disney AMC.
So we woke up around 8:30am and got ready and drove down to DTD. They had advised us when we checked in NOT to drive to DTD because of the parking lot construction, but we figured this early on Christmas morning, we should be okay. And we were correct. There was actually plenty of parking when we arrived.
We got our tickets and enjoyed popcorn, soda and candy for our Christmas morning "brunch" and LOVED the movie! I'm sure many of you have seen it now that its been out for awhile but I really was looking forward to this movie and to me, it did not disappoint. It was very good!
After the movie, we walked around DTD and by this time, it was getting VERY crowded.
DD21 had studied abroad in India last year for her spring semester 2013. So when I told her DTD had food trucks, one being Indian food, she had to try it.
We located the food truck but found out it didn't open until 4:30pm. I think at this time, it was like 3:30, but we waited because she SO wanted the butter chicken she saw on the menu.
DD21 enjoyed every last taste of this. She said it made her feel like being in India again.
This food truck also pulled up and opened slightly after Namaste Cafe. They were both located by Circque de Soleil.
DD17 also found a Magic Kingdom themed food cart that sold the ham & cheese sandwich you can get at Be Our Guest. She shared this with me.
Each meal was 1 CS credit on the ddp.
We also handed more of these goodie bags to CM's working on Christmas. Everyone we gave one too enjoyed it very much and thanked us profusely. It was fun doing something special for those who had to work to help make our Christmas fun.
My girls!
It was a fun way to spend Christmas day. We didn't feel like fighting the crowds at all the parks, so this was relaxing and very enjoyable.
Up next - our incredible Christmas night meal at California Grill!
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
Our Christmas night dinner plans were for California Grill.
My DH and I ate there on my 40th birthday...a few years ago.
We were excited to eat here now with the girls and also to see the new renovations and new menu. However, I have to say I almost cancelled this ADR because of all the bad reviews I was reading here on the dis and other places. No one seemed to like the new menu and people were talking about their bad experiences.
We decided not to cancel because despite the negative reviews, all of us were super excited to eat here on Christmas night and watch Wishes from the private balcony.
All I can say is I'M SO GLAD WE DIDN'T CANCEL!! This was for sure my favorite dining experience of the week.
As we parked and walked into the Contemporary, we saw this beautiful tree outside:
We made our way to the 4th floor podium where you check in. Two young CM's were there to check us in. We had so much fun talking with them and Karis was the cutest thing ever. Right as we were about to walk away and go on to the elevator, we gave each of them one of our Christmas treat bags. Oh my goodness, you would have thought we gave Karis a winning lottery ticket. She was so excited. She just couldn't stop thanking us and saying Merry Christmas. It was such a fun experience. She was certainly the most appreciative CM we gave a treat bag to.
So we got into the elevator and rode up to the gorgeous California Grill. We all got dressed up for this meal and took this family photo at the check in area:
It's one of my favorite family photos.
Before we could even order, guess who showed up at our table? It was Karis, the CM from downstairs who was so excited about the treat bag we gave her. She had come to give us a thank you note (and a bunch of Mickey stickers). I should have gotten a picture with her, but here's what she left us:
Edwardo was our server. He was FABULOUS! He asked what we wanted to drink and asked about wine, etc. I explained that none of us are alcohol drinkers so he asked if we'd like non-alcoholic specialty drinks. That sounded great!
DD17 and I both got virgin strawberry daiquiris.
DD21 got a virgin pina colada:
DH got a diet coke (no photo)
Edwardo was very convincing when he talked us into trying one of the flatbreads. Of course it was not covered on the ddp, but he was correct - it was delicious!
Oven-dried Tomato Flatbread - Beefsteak Tomatoes, Mozzarella di Bufala, Aged Balsamic $13
And the bread was delicious:
For entrees, DD17 got this:
Bell & Evans Chicken - smoked Tillamook-yukon potatoes, braised lacinato kale, carmelized onion jus $35.00
DD21 and I both got this:
Oak-fired Filet of Beef - Heirloom Tomato Risotto, Marinted Baby Vine Tomatoes, Petite Basil, Tomato Butter $49
DH got this:
Bison Center Cut Strip Loin - celery root puree, forest mushrooms, big bread pudding, madeira-fig demi-glace $50
Our entrees were all yummy. Edwardo was so attentive and professional. MMM - what a good meal.
Of course, it was not over though - we still had dessert! We were all very much looking forward to dessert actually. Once I showed the sundae sampler pictures to my family, they got very excited about trying it.
DH and DD17 both got the sundae sampler:
Sundae Sampler - Unique and playful Sundaes with a nostalgic twist: Caramel Corn, Coke Float, and Strawberry and Basil $12.00
We sorta all shared:
I got this:
Warm Homemade Fritters - Banana-stuffed, Cinnamon-dusted Fritters with Toasted Caramel Marshmallows complemented with a Trio of Dipping Sauces $12.00
DD21 got the seasonal tasting:
When we settled up our check, we casually asked Edwardo if he had any kids. He said he had a daughter and they were able to celebrate Christmas with his family the weekend before. So when we were ready to pay, we left Edwardo 2 goodie bags and told him one was for him and one was for his daughter. He was so touched that we thought of his daughter.
Our dinner was timed pretty much perfectly. By the time we finished up, it was about 30 minutes until Wishes started. We all used the restroom (those are some NICE bathrooms) and waited outside on the private balcony.
When DH and I were here several years ago for my 40th birthday, it was Sept. and it was much warmer. I remember it feeling very crowded on the balcony. NOT this time! There were maybe 20-25 people total on the balcony to watch the fireworks. Yes, it was chilly. We had brought a very large blanket that DD21 had got in India when she was studying abroad. It wrapped around all 3 of us girls.
A view of the castle!
My DH and I ate there on my 40th birthday...a few years ago.
We were excited to eat here now with the girls and also to see the new renovations and new menu. However, I have to say I almost cancelled this ADR because of all the bad reviews I was reading here on the dis and other places. No one seemed to like the new menu and people were talking about their bad experiences.
We decided not to cancel because despite the negative reviews, all of us were super excited to eat here on Christmas night and watch Wishes from the private balcony.
All I can say is I'M SO GLAD WE DIDN'T CANCEL!! This was for sure my favorite dining experience of the week.
As we parked and walked into the Contemporary, we saw this beautiful tree outside:
We made our way to the 4th floor podium where you check in. Two young CM's were there to check us in. We had so much fun talking with them and Karis was the cutest thing ever. Right as we were about to walk away and go on to the elevator, we gave each of them one of our Christmas treat bags. Oh my goodness, you would have thought we gave Karis a winning lottery ticket. She was so excited. She just couldn't stop thanking us and saying Merry Christmas. It was such a fun experience. She was certainly the most appreciative CM we gave a treat bag to.
So we got into the elevator and rode up to the gorgeous California Grill. We all got dressed up for this meal and took this family photo at the check in area:
It's one of my favorite family photos.
Before we could even order, guess who showed up at our table? It was Karis, the CM from downstairs who was so excited about the treat bag we gave her. She had come to give us a thank you note (and a bunch of Mickey stickers). I should have gotten a picture with her, but here's what she left us:
Edwardo was our server. He was FABULOUS! He asked what we wanted to drink and asked about wine, etc. I explained that none of us are alcohol drinkers so he asked if we'd like non-alcoholic specialty drinks. That sounded great!
DD17 and I both got virgin strawberry daiquiris.
DD21 got a virgin pina colada:
DH got a diet coke (no photo)
Edwardo was very convincing when he talked us into trying one of the flatbreads. Of course it was not covered on the ddp, but he was correct - it was delicious!
Oven-dried Tomato Flatbread - Beefsteak Tomatoes, Mozzarella di Bufala, Aged Balsamic $13
And the bread was delicious:
For entrees, DD17 got this:
Bell & Evans Chicken - smoked Tillamook-yukon potatoes, braised lacinato kale, carmelized onion jus $35.00
DD21 and I both got this:
Oak-fired Filet of Beef - Heirloom Tomato Risotto, Marinted Baby Vine Tomatoes, Petite Basil, Tomato Butter $49
DH got this:
Bison Center Cut Strip Loin - celery root puree, forest mushrooms, big bread pudding, madeira-fig demi-glace $50
Our entrees were all yummy. Edwardo was so attentive and professional. MMM - what a good meal.
Of course, it was not over though - we still had dessert! We were all very much looking forward to dessert actually. Once I showed the sundae sampler pictures to my family, they got very excited about trying it.
DH and DD17 both got the sundae sampler:
Sundae Sampler - Unique and playful Sundaes with a nostalgic twist: Caramel Corn, Coke Float, and Strawberry and Basil $12.00
We sorta all shared:
I got this:
Warm Homemade Fritters - Banana-stuffed, Cinnamon-dusted Fritters with Toasted Caramel Marshmallows complemented with a Trio of Dipping Sauces $12.00
DD21 got the seasonal tasting:
When we settled up our check, we casually asked Edwardo if he had any kids. He said he had a daughter and they were able to celebrate Christmas with his family the weekend before. So when we were ready to pay, we left Edwardo 2 goodie bags and told him one was for him and one was for his daughter. He was so touched that we thought of his daughter.
Our dinner was timed pretty much perfectly. By the time we finished up, it was about 30 minutes until Wishes started. We all used the restroom (those are some NICE bathrooms) and waited outside on the private balcony.
When DH and I were here several years ago for my 40th birthday, it was Sept. and it was much warmer. I remember it feeling very crowded on the balcony. NOT this time! There were maybe 20-25 people total on the balcony to watch the fireworks. Yes, it was chilly. We had brought a very large blanket that DD21 had got in India when she was studying abroad. It wrapped around all 3 of us girls.
A view of the castle!
huggiebear23
Can't wait for Disney!!!
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2006
Great reviews!! You totally just sealed the deal with me booking California grill for my upcoming august trip.. Great family pictures!!
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
Thanks so much for following along and for your kind words. I know everyone has different experiences even at the same restaurants, but ours was lovely. It was a wonderful Christmas night meal. I hope you enjoy it when you go!
Ask if Edwardo is working - he was awesome!
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
Thanks so much for commenting and reading my report. Our Christmas Eve and day were indeed very relaxing and special.
More to come soon!
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
Thursday, December 26
Today we were going to sleep in and get a late start. However, my body didn't cooperate. Don't you just hate that when you have a day to sleep in but you're wide awake by 6:30am! That was me.
Fortunately, DD21 was also awake, so we decided to sneak off and do some laundry. We loaded up all of our laundry stuff in the car and drove to the next building. Here's the laundry building.
It was right next to one of the quiet pools.
There were a few machines going, but overall it was pretty quiet in there and all around the resort, so I walked around a bit and took some more photos of beautiful CSR.
I really enjoyed the peace & quiet of this area at this time of the morning. I sat by the quiet pool by myself writing postcards and notes about the trip while the laundry was going. DD21 came and went while I was there and then DH came toward the end.
Overall, it did cost $16 to do laundry! That was a shocker for us since we usually can do laundry for free being DVC members.
After laundry, we all got ready and headed to Magic Kingdom to use our fp+ selections for the day.
We had a very odd parking experience at MK. They directed us around and around and finally had us parking on the grass next to a parking lot. The odd thing was they were literally parking people in - like making people park behind another car with woods in back of them. DH saw this and commented "if we park in the back row, we will not be able to get out until other cars leave." So even though they directed us to park behind another car, DH started a new row. They didn't say anything to him and then the other drivers behind us seemed to catch on to what we were doing and they also started a new row and the CMs stopped parking other cars behind ours. I was glad DH caught that because we only stayed a few hours at MK and if we would have parked where they wanted us to, we would have been stuck. Very odd. Then, there was a bunch of us walking through the parking lot we were next to and waiting for the next tram to come. A tram came and went right past us. They CM at the back of the tram told us all we needed to move to a "tram stop." Everyone in our large group was more than confused, so we kind of figured out they needed us to walk back quite a ways. You know how it goes with a group mentality, once one does it, everyone follows. It took awhile for a tram to come and actually stop to pick us all up but eventually we made it to the TTA.
Then, once there, they had us get on buses to the main entrance. I believe the monorail and boat were going too but they directed all of us to the buses. We did this once before when it was a super busy time at MK.
The entire process took over an hour and we were beginning to get a sense of what awaited us in the very busy MK.
Magic Kingdom was CROWDED!!!
Once inside MK, we decided to have lunch at Pinocchio's. This place was also very busy & crowded. They even had a CM directing people from one large line to the CM's at the registers.
Once we got up to order, DH and DD21 ordered while DD17 and I searched for a table. I was very, very surprised they didn't have CMs helping people with food find tables. I've seen that happen at other busy times. We came upon a table for 4 and grabbed it just before DD21 and DH came with our food.
We hadn't eaten here in years, so it was good to try this food again. We got a BBQ chicken flatbread, a meatball sub with fries, side of breadsticks, chicken nuggets with fries, chocolate cake and chocolate gelato and drinks.
Up next, the rest of our day at MK.
Today we were going to sleep in and get a late start. However, my body didn't cooperate. Don't you just hate that when you have a day to sleep in but you're wide awake by 6:30am! That was me.
Fortunately, DD21 was also awake, so we decided to sneak off and do some laundry. We loaded up all of our laundry stuff in the car and drove to the next building. Here's the laundry building.
It was right next to one of the quiet pools.
There were a few machines going, but overall it was pretty quiet in there and all around the resort, so I walked around a bit and took some more photos of beautiful CSR.
I really enjoyed the peace & quiet of this area at this time of the morning. I sat by the quiet pool by myself writing postcards and notes about the trip while the laundry was going. DD21 came and went while I was there and then DH came toward the end.
Overall, it did cost $16 to do laundry! That was a shocker for us since we usually can do laundry for free being DVC members.
After laundry, we all got ready and headed to Magic Kingdom to use our fp+ selections for the day.
We had a very odd parking experience at MK. They directed us around and around and finally had us parking on the grass next to a parking lot. The odd thing was they were literally parking people in - like making people park behind another car with woods in back of them. DH saw this and commented "if we park in the back row, we will not be able to get out until other cars leave." So even though they directed us to park behind another car, DH started a new row. They didn't say anything to him and then the other drivers behind us seemed to catch on to what we were doing and they also started a new row and the CMs stopped parking other cars behind ours. I was glad DH caught that because we only stayed a few hours at MK and if we would have parked where they wanted us to, we would have been stuck. Very odd. Then, there was a bunch of us walking through the parking lot we were next to and waiting for the next tram to come. A tram came and went right past us. They CM at the back of the tram told us all we needed to move to a "tram stop." Everyone in our large group was more than confused, so we kind of figured out they needed us to walk back quite a ways. You know how it goes with a group mentality, once one does it, everyone follows. It took awhile for a tram to come and actually stop to pick us all up but eventually we made it to the TTA.
Then, once there, they had us get on buses to the main entrance. I believe the monorail and boat were going too but they directed all of us to the buses. We did this once before when it was a super busy time at MK.
The entire process took over an hour and we were beginning to get a sense of what awaited us in the very busy MK.
Magic Kingdom was CROWDED!!!
Once inside MK, we decided to have lunch at Pinocchio's. This place was also very busy & crowded. They even had a CM directing people from one large line to the CM's at the registers.
Once we got up to order, DH and DD21 ordered while DD17 and I searched for a table. I was very, very surprised they didn't have CMs helping people with food find tables. I've seen that happen at other busy times. We came upon a table for 4 and grabbed it just before DD21 and DH came with our food.
We hadn't eaten here in years, so it was good to try this food again. We got a BBQ chicken flatbread, a meatball sub with fries, side of breadsticks, chicken nuggets with fries, chocolate cake and chocolate gelato and drinks.
Up next, the rest of our day at MK.
momof2disprincesses
I love my INCREDIBLE family!!!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2005
Thursday, Dec. 26 continued...Magic Kingdom
Here were our fp+ plans for this day:
We headed over towards Big Thunder, but we were about an hour early. DH and I parked it on a bench while the girls headed over to their favorite "nap" attraction - the Hall of Presidents. It was fun people watching this day because there were people everywhere and all very different. We saw happy people, hot people, really crabby people, lots of babies, etc.
Once the girls came back, we all headed to Big Thunder. After the "Wildest Ride in the Wilderness" DH and DD21 headed over to the Swiss Family Treehouse while DD17 and I were in search of something to drink. We had a wait yet for our next fp+ and it was getting hot outside.
We actually wound up back at Pinocchio's to get ice water. By this time of the afternoon (around 4pm), it was much less crowded. We grabbed our ice waters and enjoyed the AC. DH and DD21 came and met up and said the Swiss Family Treehouse was wall to wall people.
Then we made our way to try Enchanted Tales with Belle. Even though we've been to MK several times since the opening of new Fantasyland, we had not done this new attraction yet. WOW - were we glad we had fp+ for this. The line was VERY long. We used the fp+ entrance and literally walked right in with zero wait.
What a cute show! If you haven't had the chance to do this, I recommend it. It was adorable and loads of fun!
DH and DD17 got picked to be in the show!
I LOVE this picture!
After this super fun experience, we went on the TTA (AKA People mover) and then used our fp+for Buzz. Then we decided it was time to head out. We stopped in the new Starbucks (formerly Main St. Bakery). The girls are huge Starbucks fans and now that they could get anything they wanted with a snack credit, they were all over that. Here are my happy girls with their treats.
Another odd thing happened when we left MK. They were not allowing anyone on the monorails, so the only way back to the TTA was on the ferry boat. We hadn't been on that in many years though, and by now it was cooling off and was a perfect day, so the boat ride back to our car was very enjoyable!
Once we got to the car, we drove over to HS. On the drive, DD21 and I decided we didn't feel like going to another park, so we sort of just dropped off DH and DD17 and they had a fun Daddy/daughter night at Hollywood Studios.
They did Star Tours, Muppets, saw the Osborne lights and ate dinner at Pizza Planet. Sorry no pictures of their activities.
Up next, my mother/daughter evening with DD21.
Here were our fp+ plans for this day:
- 2:35-3:35: Big Thunder
- 4:35-5:35: Enchanted Tales with Belle
- 5:35-6:35: Buzz Lightyear!
We headed over towards Big Thunder, but we were about an hour early. DH and I parked it on a bench while the girls headed over to their favorite "nap" attraction - the Hall of Presidents. It was fun people watching this day because there were people everywhere and all very different. We saw happy people, hot people, really crabby people, lots of babies, etc.
Once the girls came back, we all headed to Big Thunder. After the "Wildest Ride in the Wilderness" DH and DD21 headed over to the Swiss Family Treehouse while DD17 and I were in search of something to drink. We had a wait yet for our next fp+ and it was getting hot outside.
We actually wound up back at Pinocchio's to get ice water. By this time of the afternoon (around 4pm), it was much less crowded. We grabbed our ice waters and enjoyed the AC. DH and DD21 came and met up and said the Swiss Family Treehouse was wall to wall people.
Then we made our way to try Enchanted Tales with Belle. Even though we've been to MK several times since the opening of new Fantasyland, we had not done this new attraction yet. WOW - were we glad we had fp+ for this. The line was VERY long. We used the fp+ entrance and literally walked right in with zero wait.
What a cute show! If you haven't had the chance to do this, I recommend it. It was adorable and loads of fun!
DH and DD17 got picked to be in the show!
I LOVE this picture!
After this super fun experience, we went on the TTA (AKA People mover) and then used our fp+for Buzz. Then we decided it was time to head out. We stopped in the new Starbucks (formerly Main St. Bakery). The girls are huge Starbucks fans and now that they could get anything they wanted with a snack credit, they were all over that. Here are my happy girls with their treats.
Another odd thing happened when we left MK. They were not allowing anyone on the monorails, so the only way back to the TTA was on the ferry boat. We hadn't been on that in many years though, and by now it was cooling off and was a perfect day, so the boat ride back to our car was very enjoyable!
Once we got to the car, we drove over to HS. On the drive, DD21 and I decided we didn't feel like going to another park, so we sort of just dropped off DH and DD17 and they had a fun Daddy/daughter night at Hollywood Studios.
They did Star Tours, Muppets, saw the Osborne lights and ate dinner at Pizza Planet. Sorry no pictures of their activities.
Up next, my mother/daughter evening with DD21.
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