azcavalier
05-02-2013, 04:17 PM
Monday, April 29th, was my DW's and my 18th anniversary. This was the whole point of the trip. Since we were sans kids, we decided to indulge a little and signed up for the Backstage Magic Tour.
We got up and got going, and decided that since we were at a Monorail Resort, we should take advantage. We had to be at Epcot by 8:45 to check in for our tour, and so we figured that 45 minutes should be enough time. And it is...if the monorails are running. We barely missed the one leaving the Contemporary and had to wait. Once we caught one and got the TTC, we found out that the Epcot Monorail had not been running, but that one was indeed coming....It eventually came, and I was fretting the entire way there that they would leave without us. We actually wound up checking in at 8:50, and was fine.
Our Backstage Magic tour guides were Rob Castillo and Amy (don't know her last name) from the Disney Institute. Both had been with the company for quite a while, and really knew their stuff. Rob was our guide, while Amy guided the other group. Rob had worked in both Character Development and had headed up the Central Shops for a few years, so he had some fascinating things to say. I won't spill them here (though they're hardly secret), but he had some great stories, and I loved to see the passion that he had when we went to places such as the Central Shops. You could see that he loved this stuff, the people that worked in those place, and knew what he was talking about. Very good tour. I don't see the need to repeat it, but glad we did the one.
Whispering Canyon Cafe - Lunch during the tour was at Whispering Canyon Cafe. As it was a large group, they served us family style, with ribs, chicken, and sausage. Sides were corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, beans, and cornbread. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, slathered in sauce...good stuff. I ate three or four pieces of sausage. I was pretty well stuffed. They they brought us dessert, which apparently they make just for the tour (as you can't order it from the menu). It was a large peach & strawberry cobbler ala mode. Man was it good.
Verdict - i've eaten at WCC many times. This was the best meal i've ever had there.
One thing I will say about the tour. During the Epcot part, Rob asked if we had any questions. I asked if they were planning to add more countries to the world showcase. He did not beat around the bush. He said, point blank, yes, they were. However, current money is tied up in Disneyland Shanghai and the Avatar expansion, so it will not be looked at until those are completed. I expected him to give a vague answer, but it was fairly direct, even without giving any specifics.
The tour ended at 4pm back at Epcot. We initially had reservations at The Wave for 5:15, but we were still so stuffed that we called and had them moved back to 8pm. We went into Epcot and rode SE and El Gran Fiesta Tour, and basically just wandered around until it was time to go eat. We hopped the monorail back to the Contemporary, and headed to our room to drop our stuff before eating.
Now, here's the surprise. It was our anniversary. MONTHS ago, I had called Disney's Floral & Gifts, and ordered the "From Mickey and Minnie with Love" package to be delivered on this day between 5-7pm. Since we were getting back after 7, I was excited to see what they had done. Uncharacteristically, I had not told a SOUL what I had done. Not even hinted at something special. Nothing. When she walked in, at first she was freaking out because there was something all over the floor (rose petals), but she couldn't tell what they were because of the lighting. She thought that someone had broken in and trashed our room. Once we hit the lights, and she realized that they were flower petals, she stood there dumbfounded. Then she took in the rose petals in the shape of a heart on the bed, the dozen roses, and the embroidered Disney towels. She *loved* it. And I completely surprised her. Here is the link to the package that I ordered: http://www.disneyflorist.com/product/disneyfloralandgifts-waltdisneyworldflorist-Disney-Celebration-Romance-Mickey-Minnie-Anniversary-Engagement-Honeymoon-Rose/display
The Wave - We went to The Wave for our anniversary dinner. My wife was still not very hungry, so she just had an appetizer (the Wave Cobb salad) and a dessert. I ordered the Thompson Farms Naturally Raised Pork Belly and Tenderloin with White Bean Cassoulet and Locally-sourced Vegetable, along with an added side of mushroom risotto. I had no idea what cassoulet was...apparently it's a lot like a bean stew or chili. I thought that my meal was very good. The service was a bit slow, but not terrible. My wife liked her salad very much. She had ordered the Cobb salad at the Brown Derby two years ago, and was underwhelmed. She said that the Wave's salad was better than the BD's version. For dessert, we both ordered the "Creamy Indulgence" trio, which consisted of "Butterscotch Crème Brûlée with Espresso Macaroon, New York Cheesecake with Seasonal Florida Berry Compote, and Olive Oil-infused Chocolate Truffle Mousse with Salted Caramel Sauce" I was most looking forward to the mousse, but it was the most disappointing thing on the dish. Mainly because it had been stored in the chiller, and had not thawed completely. It was very much like trying to eat a chocolate truffle with a fork. My wife's was perfectly done, but too rich for her, so I ate half of hers, while leaving mine on the plate. Verdict - Very good. I had heard some not-so-good things about this restaurant, but I liked the menu, and my main course was delicious. The mushroom risotto was OK, but not as creamy as I would have liked.
After this, we crashed, as it had been a long, hot day. And Tuesday was EMH at Epcot. Have to get up early...
We got up and got going, and decided that since we were at a Monorail Resort, we should take advantage. We had to be at Epcot by 8:45 to check in for our tour, and so we figured that 45 minutes should be enough time. And it is...if the monorails are running. We barely missed the one leaving the Contemporary and had to wait. Once we caught one and got the TTC, we found out that the Epcot Monorail had not been running, but that one was indeed coming....It eventually came, and I was fretting the entire way there that they would leave without us. We actually wound up checking in at 8:50, and was fine.
Our Backstage Magic tour guides were Rob Castillo and Amy (don't know her last name) from the Disney Institute. Both had been with the company for quite a while, and really knew their stuff. Rob was our guide, while Amy guided the other group. Rob had worked in both Character Development and had headed up the Central Shops for a few years, so he had some fascinating things to say. I won't spill them here (though they're hardly secret), but he had some great stories, and I loved to see the passion that he had when we went to places such as the Central Shops. You could see that he loved this stuff, the people that worked in those place, and knew what he was talking about. Very good tour. I don't see the need to repeat it, but glad we did the one.
Whispering Canyon Cafe - Lunch during the tour was at Whispering Canyon Cafe. As it was a large group, they served us family style, with ribs, chicken, and sausage. Sides were corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, beans, and cornbread. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, slathered in sauce...good stuff. I ate three or four pieces of sausage. I was pretty well stuffed. They they brought us dessert, which apparently they make just for the tour (as you can't order it from the menu). It was a large peach & strawberry cobbler ala mode. Man was it good.
Verdict - i've eaten at WCC many times. This was the best meal i've ever had there.
One thing I will say about the tour. During the Epcot part, Rob asked if we had any questions. I asked if they were planning to add more countries to the world showcase. He did not beat around the bush. He said, point blank, yes, they were. However, current money is tied up in Disneyland Shanghai and the Avatar expansion, so it will not be looked at until those are completed. I expected him to give a vague answer, but it was fairly direct, even without giving any specifics.
The tour ended at 4pm back at Epcot. We initially had reservations at The Wave for 5:15, but we were still so stuffed that we called and had them moved back to 8pm. We went into Epcot and rode SE and El Gran Fiesta Tour, and basically just wandered around until it was time to go eat. We hopped the monorail back to the Contemporary, and headed to our room to drop our stuff before eating.
Now, here's the surprise. It was our anniversary. MONTHS ago, I had called Disney's Floral & Gifts, and ordered the "From Mickey and Minnie with Love" package to be delivered on this day between 5-7pm. Since we were getting back after 7, I was excited to see what they had done. Uncharacteristically, I had not told a SOUL what I had done. Not even hinted at something special. Nothing. When she walked in, at first she was freaking out because there was something all over the floor (rose petals), but she couldn't tell what they were because of the lighting. She thought that someone had broken in and trashed our room. Once we hit the lights, and she realized that they were flower petals, she stood there dumbfounded. Then she took in the rose petals in the shape of a heart on the bed, the dozen roses, and the embroidered Disney towels. She *loved* it. And I completely surprised her. Here is the link to the package that I ordered: http://www.disneyflorist.com/product/disneyfloralandgifts-waltdisneyworldflorist-Disney-Celebration-Romance-Mickey-Minnie-Anniversary-Engagement-Honeymoon-Rose/display
The Wave - We went to The Wave for our anniversary dinner. My wife was still not very hungry, so she just had an appetizer (the Wave Cobb salad) and a dessert. I ordered the Thompson Farms Naturally Raised Pork Belly and Tenderloin with White Bean Cassoulet and Locally-sourced Vegetable, along with an added side of mushroom risotto. I had no idea what cassoulet was...apparently it's a lot like a bean stew or chili. I thought that my meal was very good. The service was a bit slow, but not terrible. My wife liked her salad very much. She had ordered the Cobb salad at the Brown Derby two years ago, and was underwhelmed. She said that the Wave's salad was better than the BD's version. For dessert, we both ordered the "Creamy Indulgence" trio, which consisted of "Butterscotch Crème Brûlée with Espresso Macaroon, New York Cheesecake with Seasonal Florida Berry Compote, and Olive Oil-infused Chocolate Truffle Mousse with Salted Caramel Sauce" I was most looking forward to the mousse, but it was the most disappointing thing on the dish. Mainly because it had been stored in the chiller, and had not thawed completely. It was very much like trying to eat a chocolate truffle with a fork. My wife's was perfectly done, but too rich for her, so I ate half of hers, while leaving mine on the plate. Verdict - Very good. I had heard some not-so-good things about this restaurant, but I liked the menu, and my main course was delicious. The mushroom risotto was OK, but not as creamy as I would have liked.
After this, we crashed, as it had been a long, hot day. And Tuesday was EMH at Epcot. Have to get up early...