chechas
09-05-2007, 09:39 AM
Cast:
Me (36),Nikki (40)
When:
Sunday Sept 2, 2007
Got out by about 10:30am(late start). So we caught the boat to EPCOT but the World Showcase did not open for 7 minutes. Once the rope dropped, we strolled over to Morocco.Tangierine Café didn't open til 11:30 so we looked through the shops and strolled over to Japan to browse. It was very hot and humid but the park was mostly empty. At 11:32 we ordered lunch at Tangierine Café. We both got the Shawarma Platters - with side of hummus, tabbouleh and CousCous salad with Moroccan bread. Nik got chicken and lamb and I just got chicken. The meat was very good. The couscous had a little too much cinnamon though and the tabbouleh and hummus were pretty good. Warning – it is a lot of food and we really could have just split a platter because neither of us finished. The DDP included dessert was baklava – can’t go wrong there. Smile.
We continued the stroll around the world to Italy and then Germany and checked out the great beer steins there for a bit. Then we somehow found ourselves in front of the Joy of Tea stand outside of China. Nikki ordered the Peach Oolong Tea Schnapps Slush and I got the Green Tea Plum Wine Slush each was $5.99. Hers was great! Mine was just too sweet for either of us so I did not finish it. We sat in the shade for a bit sipping and people watching as it was very hot…I know the alcohol did not help but hey it didn’t hurt our mood any! LOL Next was Norway for school bread but the line at the bakery was out the door so we skipped it.
On to Mexico for the Gran Fiesta Tour. Neither of us was really feeling it. Could be that we got put in a boat with a couple that had 2 small children who cried and whined and fussed the whole trip and the dad kept telling the one little boy he was being a baby and a brat. We were thinking um it is 1pm and very hot out, you probably had these two little boys (who did not look older than 4 or 5) out early in the parks and they are hot and sweaty and tired! We were sitting right behind them and no one else was in the boat so it was a long ride. Ater that it was off to the Margarita stand – LOL! 1 mango and 1 kiwi please! We thought the margaritas from the previous day were much better and had more of a kick but these were nice and refreshing. Once again we found a great spot to people watch and enjoy a light breeze.
We did have something funny happen in the gift shop though and I am still cracking up. Nikki and I are very good friends and sometimes we forget that we are not in our own little world and we get to talking and neither of us has the best filters between our brains and mouths when we are around each other maybe we jam the other's filter or something (friends are shocked when they are around us together for the first time as we are both so quiet and controlled in our normal life but it is like we hit a switch when he get together and you never know what is coming out of our mouths!) Anyways the CM was ringing up Nik’s stuff and since she had bought me 2 PoC shot glasses, we got into a discussion about my love life or lack thereof and ways to fix it so it got a little personal – not anywhere near X rated or anything but embarrassing still and we seem to egg each other on. The lady keeps wrapping and quietly says “It’s not like I can hear you ladies or anything.” LOL! We both stopped short and looked at her and then cracked up and apologized. I was embarrassed but was laughing so hard that I couldn’t even feel it. We laughed about that all the way to United Kingdom pavilion.
At UK I went into The Crown and Crest (or is it The Crest and Crown?) anyways there you can look up your family name crest(coat of arms) and history of the name. Then get one or both printed/framed or the crest embroidered on a shirt, hat etc. I got a framed and matted print of our family crest for my dad’s bday…..that ran about $85 but it is gorgeous! They said it would take about 4-5 weeks to get it printed/ matted/framed and shipped to me. I was bummed as my dad’s bday is in about 3 weeks. They saw that and asked how long I would be staying at Disney, we were checking out the next day. The guy did a search to make sure that they had the frame and matt I had selected in stock at the shop and he said he would have it ready for pick up after 7pm that same day! I was thrilled! At the time I forgot we had V&A ressies and by the time we got back to hotel I read the EMH hours schedule and EPCOT was going to be open until 1am EMH so figured we had plenty of time to go back and pick it up after dinner. WRONG! But I will get to that in day 4.
We drove to V&A…let me back up - had the first and only “bad” experience with a CM at the BWI valet stand when I was trying to get my car. I had called down for it before we left the room. When we got downstairs, I did not see it at first as there was a large SUV between us and my car. So I went over to the valet stand. The girl working there was talking to her friend who had brought her a bag of laundry and some detergent(huh?) and they were discussing what to do later on (the friend was in shorts and tank top so not working). I ended up saying excuse me…they kept talking so I said it again louder and with more umph. The friend looked at me and walked off. So then I was asking about my car and the girl was like it should be here in a few minutes. I then asked her about valet parking at the GF - they used to put a ticket on your rearview window to indicate that you were paid valet and I noticed they were not doing that anymore so I just was curious how they were keeping track. She was like “don’t worry about it.” I thought that was rude and dismissive. So I clarified that when I got to the GF they will already know I am paid valet and not charge me again? She was like “Um sure, I guess” and then turned her back on me. I started to lose it then. I asked her to confirm it for me after all I felt that since she was functioning as the valet captain for the evening, she should be able to answer such a basic question – so I was being kind of a witch with a b due to her attitude. The SUV moved and I saw that my car had been there the whole time. So I asked for my keys. She said “One of the guys have your keys so you need to find one of them.” Excuse me! Just as I started to go off, another valet came up and asked if he could help us and I explained…he said they should be at the counter and reached over the counter right in front of her and sorted through the keys and came up with mine. I noted the girls name and we went on our way as we were already running late.
Thankfully we got to V&A right at 6:30 our ressie time. It was a wonderful meal and if any of you have not tried it….do. It is expensive but amazing - the service, the ambiance and the food. We did the wine pairings and I found some new favorites – LOL. 1st course – was a vinaigrette melon salad for me and one with lobster on top for Nikki. Second course we both got the Seared Colorado Buffalo Tenderloin, Braised Fennel, Radishes and Blood Orange Vinaigrette– oh my god! Never thought I would love eating a big, shaggy, smelly beast like that. The next course we both had the Ballotine of Poulet Rouge with Duck Consommé and Scottish Chanterelles– which was a free range chicken with duck in a duck consommé…it was a little bland. Then was the seafood course…Nikki had the Crab Stuffed Tempura Squash Bloom with Grape Must Mustard – she said it was delicious and raved about it for days and because of my allergies, I ordered the roasted butternut squash soup…OMG! I am not too much of a soup or squash fan but that was sooo good that I almost licked my bowl but remembered where we were. I told our server with a perfectly straight face that I just didn’t like it and with an equally straight face he replied “I could tell, I think you missed a little on this side.” LOL! Next came the Kansas City Angus Beef with Fingerling Potato Lyonnaise– it is served in an oyster based sauce usually but they made a slightly different one for me. Oh soooo good! I actually asked if the chef was married after this one. Our “Victoria” Becky laughed and said she felt the same way the first time she tasted it but yes he is. LOL. For dessert I got the triple chocolate - Tanzanian Chocolate Pyramid, Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Soufflé and Peruvian Chocolate Ice Cream and Puff Pastry Berry Gâteau with Mango Yogurt Pannacotta and Nik got the Caramelized Banana Gâteau. After all that food and 6 glasses of wine each and a cup of coffee, we were feeling pretty content.
Went back to hotel to change (realized then that EPCOT was closed and figured I would give a call in the morning about picking up my Family Crest)…and we caught the bus to Pleasure Island around 10:45…um one word here…why are parents having their little kids out at Pleasure Island at this time of night? The bus at BWI also served Dolphin and Swan and at the Swan there was a family trying to get on the bus but their little girl (who looked about 3) was crying and screaming and rubbing her eyes saying that she was sleepy. They were trying to force her on the bus! Saying we are just going to look around, you can sleep in the stroller when we get there. I usually do not like judging parents because I don’t want to be judged by someone on the outside but come on! Put the child to bed!
We had a good time at Pleasure Island and laughed and joked just shooting the breeze and dancing. We left around 1:30am and on the way back to the bus Nikki and I started having a cellphone camera war where we kept trying to catch each other looking weird in a picture while trying to block own picture from being taken – we call it Paparazzi War. LOL! This guy asked us what we were doing and started cracking up! He took a picture of both of us real quick as was like “I win!” DOH! LOL. Great fun!
Tomorrow: check out, rebooking, The Crest and Crown and Pepper Market Grill
Me (36),Nikki (40)
When:
Sunday Sept 2, 2007
Got out by about 10:30am(late start). So we caught the boat to EPCOT but the World Showcase did not open for 7 minutes. Once the rope dropped, we strolled over to Morocco.Tangierine Café didn't open til 11:30 so we looked through the shops and strolled over to Japan to browse. It was very hot and humid but the park was mostly empty. At 11:32 we ordered lunch at Tangierine Café. We both got the Shawarma Platters - with side of hummus, tabbouleh and CousCous salad with Moroccan bread. Nik got chicken and lamb and I just got chicken. The meat was very good. The couscous had a little too much cinnamon though and the tabbouleh and hummus were pretty good. Warning – it is a lot of food and we really could have just split a platter because neither of us finished. The DDP included dessert was baklava – can’t go wrong there. Smile.
We continued the stroll around the world to Italy and then Germany and checked out the great beer steins there for a bit. Then we somehow found ourselves in front of the Joy of Tea stand outside of China. Nikki ordered the Peach Oolong Tea Schnapps Slush and I got the Green Tea Plum Wine Slush each was $5.99. Hers was great! Mine was just too sweet for either of us so I did not finish it. We sat in the shade for a bit sipping and people watching as it was very hot…I know the alcohol did not help but hey it didn’t hurt our mood any! LOL Next was Norway for school bread but the line at the bakery was out the door so we skipped it.
On to Mexico for the Gran Fiesta Tour. Neither of us was really feeling it. Could be that we got put in a boat with a couple that had 2 small children who cried and whined and fussed the whole trip and the dad kept telling the one little boy he was being a baby and a brat. We were thinking um it is 1pm and very hot out, you probably had these two little boys (who did not look older than 4 or 5) out early in the parks and they are hot and sweaty and tired! We were sitting right behind them and no one else was in the boat so it was a long ride. Ater that it was off to the Margarita stand – LOL! 1 mango and 1 kiwi please! We thought the margaritas from the previous day were much better and had more of a kick but these were nice and refreshing. Once again we found a great spot to people watch and enjoy a light breeze.
We did have something funny happen in the gift shop though and I am still cracking up. Nikki and I are very good friends and sometimes we forget that we are not in our own little world and we get to talking and neither of us has the best filters between our brains and mouths when we are around each other maybe we jam the other's filter or something (friends are shocked when they are around us together for the first time as we are both so quiet and controlled in our normal life but it is like we hit a switch when he get together and you never know what is coming out of our mouths!) Anyways the CM was ringing up Nik’s stuff and since she had bought me 2 PoC shot glasses, we got into a discussion about my love life or lack thereof and ways to fix it so it got a little personal – not anywhere near X rated or anything but embarrassing still and we seem to egg each other on. The lady keeps wrapping and quietly says “It’s not like I can hear you ladies or anything.” LOL! We both stopped short and looked at her and then cracked up and apologized. I was embarrassed but was laughing so hard that I couldn’t even feel it. We laughed about that all the way to United Kingdom pavilion.
At UK I went into The Crown and Crest (or is it The Crest and Crown?) anyways there you can look up your family name crest(coat of arms) and history of the name. Then get one or both printed/framed or the crest embroidered on a shirt, hat etc. I got a framed and matted print of our family crest for my dad’s bday…..that ran about $85 but it is gorgeous! They said it would take about 4-5 weeks to get it printed/ matted/framed and shipped to me. I was bummed as my dad’s bday is in about 3 weeks. They saw that and asked how long I would be staying at Disney, we were checking out the next day. The guy did a search to make sure that they had the frame and matt I had selected in stock at the shop and he said he would have it ready for pick up after 7pm that same day! I was thrilled! At the time I forgot we had V&A ressies and by the time we got back to hotel I read the EMH hours schedule and EPCOT was going to be open until 1am EMH so figured we had plenty of time to go back and pick it up after dinner. WRONG! But I will get to that in day 4.
We drove to V&A…let me back up - had the first and only “bad” experience with a CM at the BWI valet stand when I was trying to get my car. I had called down for it before we left the room. When we got downstairs, I did not see it at first as there was a large SUV between us and my car. So I went over to the valet stand. The girl working there was talking to her friend who had brought her a bag of laundry and some detergent(huh?) and they were discussing what to do later on (the friend was in shorts and tank top so not working). I ended up saying excuse me…they kept talking so I said it again louder and with more umph. The friend looked at me and walked off. So then I was asking about my car and the girl was like it should be here in a few minutes. I then asked her about valet parking at the GF - they used to put a ticket on your rearview window to indicate that you were paid valet and I noticed they were not doing that anymore so I just was curious how they were keeping track. She was like “don’t worry about it.” I thought that was rude and dismissive. So I clarified that when I got to the GF they will already know I am paid valet and not charge me again? She was like “Um sure, I guess” and then turned her back on me. I started to lose it then. I asked her to confirm it for me after all I felt that since she was functioning as the valet captain for the evening, she should be able to answer such a basic question – so I was being kind of a witch with a b due to her attitude. The SUV moved and I saw that my car had been there the whole time. So I asked for my keys. She said “One of the guys have your keys so you need to find one of them.” Excuse me! Just as I started to go off, another valet came up and asked if he could help us and I explained…he said they should be at the counter and reached over the counter right in front of her and sorted through the keys and came up with mine. I noted the girls name and we went on our way as we were already running late.
Thankfully we got to V&A right at 6:30 our ressie time. It was a wonderful meal and if any of you have not tried it….do. It is expensive but amazing - the service, the ambiance and the food. We did the wine pairings and I found some new favorites – LOL. 1st course – was a vinaigrette melon salad for me and one with lobster on top for Nikki. Second course we both got the Seared Colorado Buffalo Tenderloin, Braised Fennel, Radishes and Blood Orange Vinaigrette– oh my god! Never thought I would love eating a big, shaggy, smelly beast like that. The next course we both had the Ballotine of Poulet Rouge with Duck Consommé and Scottish Chanterelles– which was a free range chicken with duck in a duck consommé…it was a little bland. Then was the seafood course…Nikki had the Crab Stuffed Tempura Squash Bloom with Grape Must Mustard – she said it was delicious and raved about it for days and because of my allergies, I ordered the roasted butternut squash soup…OMG! I am not too much of a soup or squash fan but that was sooo good that I almost licked my bowl but remembered where we were. I told our server with a perfectly straight face that I just didn’t like it and with an equally straight face he replied “I could tell, I think you missed a little on this side.” LOL! Next came the Kansas City Angus Beef with Fingerling Potato Lyonnaise– it is served in an oyster based sauce usually but they made a slightly different one for me. Oh soooo good! I actually asked if the chef was married after this one. Our “Victoria” Becky laughed and said she felt the same way the first time she tasted it but yes he is. LOL. For dessert I got the triple chocolate - Tanzanian Chocolate Pyramid, Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Soufflé and Peruvian Chocolate Ice Cream and Puff Pastry Berry Gâteau with Mango Yogurt Pannacotta and Nik got the Caramelized Banana Gâteau. After all that food and 6 glasses of wine each and a cup of coffee, we were feeling pretty content.
Went back to hotel to change (realized then that EPCOT was closed and figured I would give a call in the morning about picking up my Family Crest)…and we caught the bus to Pleasure Island around 10:45…um one word here…why are parents having their little kids out at Pleasure Island at this time of night? The bus at BWI also served Dolphin and Swan and at the Swan there was a family trying to get on the bus but their little girl (who looked about 3) was crying and screaming and rubbing her eyes saying that she was sleepy. They were trying to force her on the bus! Saying we are just going to look around, you can sleep in the stroller when we get there. I usually do not like judging parents because I don’t want to be judged by someone on the outside but come on! Put the child to bed!
We had a good time at Pleasure Island and laughed and joked just shooting the breeze and dancing. We left around 1:30am and on the way back to the bus Nikki and I started having a cellphone camera war where we kept trying to catch each other looking weird in a picture while trying to block own picture from being taken – we call it Paparazzi War. LOL! This guy asked us what we were doing and started cracking up! He took a picture of both of us real quick as was like “I win!” DOH! LOL. Great fun!
Tomorrow: check out, rebooking, The Crest and Crown and Pepper Market Grill