mousegear
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2011
What a great day! You seemed to time everything just about perfectly! So you did all 4 rides in that short amount of time?! We are in our debating early entry phase in my planning. We are staying at the Boardwalk and as of right now have our Hollywood Studios Day Saturday and MK day Sunday but we have thought of switching the two. I have a reservation for BOG for both mornings at 8:10 (once we decide we will cancel one of them). Doing EE is hard call to make when you live on the west coast... I am so worried about that time change switch!
Again great reviews and you guys seem to have amazing timing
We were just so lucky that morning. We couldn't believe that we made to DHS EMH before the rope drop and we got 4 rides done in 1.5 hours during spring break. We had very low expectations going in this vacay and decided we would enjoy it no matter how little we accomplish since it's spring break. It's really to enjoy nice warm weather and get some disney vibe. I guess it's easier for us to say that since it's our trip 20+ and with new APs, we knew we were going back soon.
Yum, your brunch looks and sounds like it was fantastic!
Yeah, we really enjoyed the brunch and how relaxing and bright it was at Cali Grill as much as delicious food.
I just couldn't believe our room was ready at AKL during one of the busiest season as parks were crowd level 10 every day of our trip.
Honestly, DS (13) now eats more than I do and he has been for last several years. Also like your Casey, he is pretty adventurous when it comes to what he eats. I don't think I've ever ordered him a meal from kid's menu anywhere even when he was little. But $80 price tag was one of the reason we decided to DxDP during our AKL stay. Cali Grill brunch made it easier for me to decide because although it is buffet, you get to order entree so just mentally, it was easier. I also knew that DS would eat his weight worth of sushi and he did. I think he had 3 plates full of sushi before he moved on to Charcuterie and other things.
I was quit surprise to see so many little ones at Cali Grill brunch that morning though.
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We really needed nap since we had really early morning plus busy one. This afternoon, we were heading to Magic Kingdom. As you probably noticed, we haven't yet set a food at MK. We were excited since we have some nice FP+ lined up. We decided to take bus since taking a car takes a lot longer to MK. A MK bus literally pulled up as we walked down to the bus stop. We were actually the last ones on the bus but it had plenty of seats. We actually entered MK at 5:25pm according to time stamp on my first photo. We had FP+ for Space Mt so off we went towards Tomorrow Land. On the way, we noticed that Buzz Lightyear only had 15 minute wait, so we rode that first before Space Mt. Afterwards, we wanted to ride People Mover but the line was zigzagged out really far, so off we went towards our next FP+. We rode Seven Dwarves Mine Train (had 170minute for Standby 
) and then decided to ride Little Mermaid. It's cute and had nice 15 minute wait. At this time our Be Our Guest dinner ADR was approaching and both of us were still not hungry. I was really banking on DS being hungry so that at least I could have just ordered appetizer but he said that he wasn't really hungry either. We debated over cancelling but DS really wanted desert and was looking forward to it. So I thought we should just go in and order drinks and deserts. I've read on Dis that some people do this since they want to check out BOG so I figure, as long as I leave handsome tip, I wouldn't feel too guilty for taking up a table. So we checked in and waited about 15 minutes by the bridge before we were called. We've eaten at BOG several times before on all breakfast, lunch and dinner so we weren't new but we were still excited.
So we quickly perused the desert menu and DS picked Grey Stuff and I choose Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake. They came out fast which we didn't mind at all since we were there just for the deserts. However, our server gave our deserts rather unprofessionally by banging the dishes on our table. At this time, DS noticed as well. We decided to shake it off and enjoy our deserts. As well, the Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake was delicious (I love fruity flavored deserts). It was rich with frosting and moist inside. I did try DS's Grey Stuff, because I've only had the cupcake or the chocolate bar version and the tart version was new to us. It was good but we do prefer the cupcake/chocolate bar with Grey Stuff. 
Dude! I get it that you want us to get out of the table but at least give me 10 minutes so we could finish our deserts. I handed him my credit card and I was ready for him when he came back with our final bill. I had my hand out for the final bill yet again, he tossed it on the table.
When finally DS was finished with his desert, I got up and started to look for a manager. I couldn't find one so I asked a CM near by and asked that I would like to speak to a manager on duty and we will be waiting for him in the study. Meanwhile, I asked DS if he would like to meet Beast. He is 13 and he's not interested in meeting characters at this point of his life but he readily agreed. I waited with DS in the study and a manager came quickly. I explained about the whole situation and just mentioned how disappointed I was about the service. He apologized about the whole situation and said that he would also talk to our server. He wanted to comp our meal but I refused since we ate the deserts and drank our drinks. There was nothing wrong with our food, the service was the problem. He gave me his business card and said that he would like to make up for the lack of our experience and would like to host us at BOG again during our stay. I explained to him that we are on DxDP and we have our ADRs set for the trip. He further offered, since we are AP holders and would most likely to come back, if we decide to eat at BOG on our future trip and need an ADR, I could personally email him and he would get us the time we need. I thanked him for listening and moved on to join DS for taking picture with Beast. It was one of the hardest moment of Disney vacations (and we've had many like 20+). I didn't want to show how upset I was to DS. There's no need to share unhappy thoughts. However, what our server did linger with me for awhile. Even when I was meeting and taking picture with Beast, we had wonderful interaction, I was replaying the whole experience. 
FYI, I've never complained at a restaurant before, Disney or not. It's not my personality. After our meet with Beast, we were surprised because the manager waited for us by the entrance of the castle. He handed me 4 sets paper FP for any attraction for our stay. He again, apologized for the experience and he did mention that he talked to our server. Later, when I went back to the room, I looked at his business card and noticed that he wasn't a manager of BOG. He is Guest Experience Manager of Magic Kingdom! 
I love this refreshing, tart goodness every day. Good news is that I've found a local ice cream place that had Dole Whip. Yay!!!
I was beyond tired but could not fall asleep due to the sound from outside. Finally, at 5am, I gave up and took a long~, hot shower. I went down to the lobby and looked for someone at the check-in desk. It was kind of eerie as there was no one, absolutely no one on that big lobby. I waited maybe 2~3 minutes and someone came out from the back. I explained to the CM about my problem and she immediate started to search for vacancy. She said that they are fully booked and she searched for awhile. After about 10 minutes, she said that she does have a room that she could move us immediately but it's further from the lobby but should be quiet. I agreed to take room but told her that I have a son who is sleeping at the moment and I would like him to get his full sleep. The CM said that as soon as we are ready to move, we could come back to the front desk and they would give us the room number.
He didn't like that DS had others on his t-shirt. Daisy gave lots of kisses to DS on his cheek and DS's reaction was priceless. 
DS is not a salad lover but he kept stealing some from my plate. 
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