Paiges
10-11-2009, 10:47 PM
Day 5 – Wednesday, Sept. 16
Cast: Me (41), DH (40), DD (9),DD (8), DS (6) – plus 33 various family and friends! Our Grand Gathering name is ‘Flambe Cola Cows’ (an anagram based on last names). Kathy at MJ is an honorary member. She booked most of us and we all loved her.
Overview: This morning we got up at our normal (not early) time, and had breakfast in our room. We all wore our grand gathering tshirts today. Three of the group that arrived last night have ECVs, so we met up with them and the two cousins to help people get to and on the buses. We all boarded the Epcot bus, as we had a lunch ressie (for 38!) :party: at Le Cellier. When we got to Epcot, the first thing I wanted to do was take the ECV riders on Soarin’. I knew if we didn’t do it first thing, that it wouldn’t happen. As we walked in, we saw Daisy signing autographs. She was high on our list, but I told the kids that we would have to catch her another time. We got onto Soarin’ with a minimal wait. We told the CM that we had a group of 10, and they put us all in one row together. Unfortunately, my MIL had motion sickness issues, and after the pre-ride presentation, she decided not to ride. The rest of us did ride, and everyone loved it.
After getting off the ride, we headed off toward Canada and Le Cellier. Our group had started congregating in the outdoor area, and it was fun to see everyone and say hello. We actually had 4 ressies, for 10, 10, 10, and 8, that spanned about an hour’s time. The Le Cellier staff was suberb. :thumbsup: The manager told me when I made the ressie that they would do their best to seat us all together and at the same time, if we were there at 11:30. And they did seat us quickly - as soon as we had enough people to satisfy one of the individual ressies , they took that group in. The sisters and family were held up at DtD, so in the end they seated 4 of the last 10 ressie and said they would hold the 6 top for the late group, until 12:30. They just squeaked in at about 12:25. I also asked the staff about calling a photopass photographer to come and take a picture of all 38 of us in our Flambe Cola Cows shirts, since this was the only time we would all be together. They kept an eye on us and when we were about done eating, they called the photographer. He was waiting when we finished, and we all gathered on some steps and got a group photo.
After the photo, some of the group peeled off and headed to AK, some headed back to the hotel, and some walked around the world showcase. One of my nephews wasn’t feeling well, so he headed back to POR with his dad. :ill: It was really easy to spot one another in our matching shirts. I recommend it for big groups. We saw a few shows, rode the rides in Norway and Mexico, and then rode Soarin’ again. Some of the group went to Test Track on the way, and some of the group went to sit at Sunshine Gardens to rest. Then some stayed in the dining area while the rest of us rode Soarin’.
Ten of us had reserved a fireworks cruise to watch Illuminations! We grabbed dinner in the UK (where DS also picked up a stuffed Mickey) and then took the ferry over to the Yacht Club, where we were supposed to meet our boat. We were early, so we walked in the Yacht Club (nice!) and walked over to the Boardwalk. We shopped a little. We got some candy, got some trading pins and a stuffed basketball Mickey, and watched a street performer. Then we headed back over to the marina. When it was time for the cruise, we only had 8, as our nephew felt better, but not in enough time to make it to the marina for the launch.
Scott was our driver – he was funny, was really good with the kids, and told us a lot about the parks. He also gave us the story behind Illuminations!, so we could understand it a little more. He drove us around before the fireworks started, past the Swan and Dolphin and up close to DHS. While we were driving around, my nephew (6) was talking a lot, and somehow he came up with the quote of the night – “Underwear and sunglasses are all I need to survive.” Scott parked us under the bridge right between UK and France, so we were front and center for the show. It was an incredible show, and the weather was gorgeous. We took a bus to DtD from the Yacht Club, and then took the ferry to POR. Another late night!
Food: It seems that there are two groups on Intercot – the people that LOVE Le Cellier, and those that think it’s overrated. After our lunch, I am firmly in the LOVE group. I had the filet, and both the steak and the rice mixture beneath it were melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The pretzel breadsticks were great, too. I also had chocolate moose – it was cute, and good, but not to-die-for like the rest of the meal.
Our dinner was fish and chips from UK. The fries were sooooo good – the best fries of the trip. The iced tea – well, all I can say is blech. The fish was OK, but pretty blah.
Road Bumps: DD left her hat (the other DD, not the one that left her hat on the safari) on a table in the Sunshine Gardens dining area. It had a LOT of autographs on it. We realized that it was missing when we were on Soarin’, and when we came back, a CM recovered it for us. Another close call!
Magical Moments: When I called (and called, and called) to make our reservations for our trip, the CMs always asked me if we were celebrating anything. I told them that our anniversary was close to our trip dates, on Sept. 5. When we saw our boat for the fireworks cruise, it had a huge Happy Anniversary banner across the back, and balloons were tied to the boat. We got some happy anniversary!s from the crowd as we cruised around. After we got off the boat, DD asked, “Did that cost a lot?” I told her it cost quite a bit, and she said, “It was totally worth it!”
Cast: Me (41), DH (40), DD (9),DD (8), DS (6) – plus 33 various family and friends! Our Grand Gathering name is ‘Flambe Cola Cows’ (an anagram based on last names). Kathy at MJ is an honorary member. She booked most of us and we all loved her.
Overview: This morning we got up at our normal (not early) time, and had breakfast in our room. We all wore our grand gathering tshirts today. Three of the group that arrived last night have ECVs, so we met up with them and the two cousins to help people get to and on the buses. We all boarded the Epcot bus, as we had a lunch ressie (for 38!) :party: at Le Cellier. When we got to Epcot, the first thing I wanted to do was take the ECV riders on Soarin’. I knew if we didn’t do it first thing, that it wouldn’t happen. As we walked in, we saw Daisy signing autographs. She was high on our list, but I told the kids that we would have to catch her another time. We got onto Soarin’ with a minimal wait. We told the CM that we had a group of 10, and they put us all in one row together. Unfortunately, my MIL had motion sickness issues, and after the pre-ride presentation, she decided not to ride. The rest of us did ride, and everyone loved it.
After getting off the ride, we headed off toward Canada and Le Cellier. Our group had started congregating in the outdoor area, and it was fun to see everyone and say hello. We actually had 4 ressies, for 10, 10, 10, and 8, that spanned about an hour’s time. The Le Cellier staff was suberb. :thumbsup: The manager told me when I made the ressie that they would do their best to seat us all together and at the same time, if we were there at 11:30. And they did seat us quickly - as soon as we had enough people to satisfy one of the individual ressies , they took that group in. The sisters and family were held up at DtD, so in the end they seated 4 of the last 10 ressie and said they would hold the 6 top for the late group, until 12:30. They just squeaked in at about 12:25. I also asked the staff about calling a photopass photographer to come and take a picture of all 38 of us in our Flambe Cola Cows shirts, since this was the only time we would all be together. They kept an eye on us and when we were about done eating, they called the photographer. He was waiting when we finished, and we all gathered on some steps and got a group photo.
After the photo, some of the group peeled off and headed to AK, some headed back to the hotel, and some walked around the world showcase. One of my nephews wasn’t feeling well, so he headed back to POR with his dad. :ill: It was really easy to spot one another in our matching shirts. I recommend it for big groups. We saw a few shows, rode the rides in Norway and Mexico, and then rode Soarin’ again. Some of the group went to Test Track on the way, and some of the group went to sit at Sunshine Gardens to rest. Then some stayed in the dining area while the rest of us rode Soarin’.
Ten of us had reserved a fireworks cruise to watch Illuminations! We grabbed dinner in the UK (where DS also picked up a stuffed Mickey) and then took the ferry over to the Yacht Club, where we were supposed to meet our boat. We were early, so we walked in the Yacht Club (nice!) and walked over to the Boardwalk. We shopped a little. We got some candy, got some trading pins and a stuffed basketball Mickey, and watched a street performer. Then we headed back over to the marina. When it was time for the cruise, we only had 8, as our nephew felt better, but not in enough time to make it to the marina for the launch.
Scott was our driver – he was funny, was really good with the kids, and told us a lot about the parks. He also gave us the story behind Illuminations!, so we could understand it a little more. He drove us around before the fireworks started, past the Swan and Dolphin and up close to DHS. While we were driving around, my nephew (6) was talking a lot, and somehow he came up with the quote of the night – “Underwear and sunglasses are all I need to survive.” Scott parked us under the bridge right between UK and France, so we were front and center for the show. It was an incredible show, and the weather was gorgeous. We took a bus to DtD from the Yacht Club, and then took the ferry to POR. Another late night!
Food: It seems that there are two groups on Intercot – the people that LOVE Le Cellier, and those that think it’s overrated. After our lunch, I am firmly in the LOVE group. I had the filet, and both the steak and the rice mixture beneath it were melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The pretzel breadsticks were great, too. I also had chocolate moose – it was cute, and good, but not to-die-for like the rest of the meal.
Our dinner was fish and chips from UK. The fries were sooooo good – the best fries of the trip. The iced tea – well, all I can say is blech. The fish was OK, but pretty blah.
Road Bumps: DD left her hat (the other DD, not the one that left her hat on the safari) on a table in the Sunshine Gardens dining area. It had a LOT of autographs on it. We realized that it was missing when we were on Soarin’, and when we came back, a CM recovered it for us. Another close call!
Magical Moments: When I called (and called, and called) to make our reservations for our trip, the CMs always asked me if we were celebrating anything. I told them that our anniversary was close to our trip dates, on Sept. 5. When we saw our boat for the fireworks cruise, it had a huge Happy Anniversary banner across the back, and balloons were tied to the boat. We got some happy anniversary!s from the crowd as we cruised around. After we got off the boat, DD asked, “Did that cost a lot?” I told her it cost quite a bit, and she said, “It was totally worth it!”