Monday, April 29, 2013

Dessert and a Deluge

Boom!  Boom!  Boom!  Colorful fireworks exploded behind Cinderella Castle, casting a royal silhouette against the night sky.  I glanced down at my children's faces; their chins rested on the railing of the Tomorrowland Terrace as they stared at the Castle, pure wonder glistening in their eyes.  I breathed a deep sign of relief as a wave of gratitude washed over me; Isaac had yet to hit Florida...but he was coming.

Approximately three days before any Disney vacation, I begin to fixate on one disastrous scenario that has the potential to ruin our whole trip.  This fixation occurs like clockwork, and it serves as my motivation to prepare for the unexpected.  This time, Hurricane Isaac was my scenario of choice.  Usually, my concern dissipates as soon as we touch down in Orlando, but things were a little different on this trip.  While Orlando is so far inland that it rarely sustains a direct hit from a hurricane, Disney World can easily be inundated with constant downpours and high winds from tropical storms, even when they only graze the Florida coast.  In addition, we'd planned to spend two days on the ocean at the end of the trip.  So, needless to say, I'd been tracking Isaac's path all week.  Several times, I was able to convince myself that I needed to forget about Isaac and enjoy our trip since I had little (ok, zero) control over the trajectory of a tropical storm.  Nevertheless, Isaac had undeniably created his own tropical storm in my head, and I couldn't seem to permanently take cover from him.

But now, here we were on our last night at Disney World, and we had been incredibly fortunate, as
Our View of the Castle From the Terrace
Orlando had yet to feel the effects of Hurricane Isaac.  In fact, we'd had an incredibly memorable evening.  After dinner at Chef Mickey's, we'd hopped over to Magic Kingdom for one last night of fun.  Each of my children had picked one favorite attraction to experience again.  Then, we checked in at the Tomorrowland Terrace for the Fireworks Dessert Party.

Tip Time: We love to end our Disney vacations by attending Wishes Nighttime Spectacular (the nightly fireworks display at the Magic Kingdom).  For us, there's no better way to say good-bye than listening to "When You Wish Upon a Star" as fireworks explode behind Cinderella Castle.  What we DON'T love, however, is battling the crowds on Main Street when the fireworks are over.  Luckily, there's an alternative!  Almost every night, Tomorrowland Terrace hosts a fireworks dessert party.  Cold milk, countless decadent desserts, and reserved seating for Wishes--seriously, what could be better?  This event costs extra and you MUST make reservations, so be sure to call ahead of time (usually, reservations for this event open 30-60 days prior).  

Upon checking in at the party, we were ushered to our reserved table and instructed to help ourselves to dessert.  As we rounded the corner to the buffet, Jack and Sadie's eyes grew to the size of saucers.  Cold milk, warm cookies, hot chocolate and coffee, an ice cream bar complete with whipped cream and cherries, and an array of decadent bite-sized desserts were spread out on several tables.  Jack's eyes locked on mine, and I knew what he was going to ask before he even opened his mouth, so I answered the question that he hadn't even posed yet.  "Whatever you want, guys.  It's our last night.  Go crazy!!"

And crazy they went!  We returned to our table with loaded plates and leisurely enjoyed our desserts as we shared our favorite memories from our trip.  When the pre-show started, we strolled up to the railing and settled in--no jostling for a spot!!  And then, the fireworks began!  The view of the fireworks from Tomorrowland Terrace is not completely head-on, but it did not detract from the show at all.  Best of all, the view was completely unobstructed and our children could clearly see it on their own (there was no need to put them on our shoulders).

After the show was over, instead of joining the masses as they surged toward the exit, we hung out in Tomorrowland for about a half hour.  Then, we slowly made our way to the front, unimpeded by the hordes of people who'd left right after the show.  Because everyone had departed at once, there was no wait for a bus by the time we lined up, and we were easily able to find a seat.  Within twenty minutes, we'd arrived back at the Beach Club, and we were sinking into bed before we knew it.  I leaned over to turn off the light, closed my eyes, and listened to the sounds of the wind as it began howling outside our resort.  Then, came the rain, slowly at first...then harder and harder.  It was official.  Isaac had hit!!





Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Right Back Where We Started From

After a near disaster at the Pirates' League, we decided to grab a quick lunch and make a rapid escape back to our hotel room for a long, much-needed rest.  Our 5-day trip to Disney World was nearing its end, and we'd maintained a high-energy pace through most of it.  Furthermore, I knew the kids would need their rest to fully enjoy the ultimate celebration I'd planned for our final night: dinner at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Resort, followed by the Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party back at the Magic Kingdom.

Tip Time: One of the biggest benefits of staying at an onsite Disney resort is the abundant, complimentary transportation from your hotel to the theme parks.  Buses, monorails, and watercraft operate continuously throughout the day, making it easy to escape back to your hotel for a much-needed midday rest.  A Disney World vacation is full of magic and fun, but it is very stimulating.  To maximize your time and energy, arrive at the theme parks before they open.  Tour the parks hard for 3-4 hours, then return to your resort after lunch for a break (when the parks are at their hottest and most crowded anyway).  After a nap or a swim, head back to the theme parks in the late afternoon or early evening.  Staying at an onsite resort makes it easy to do this.

Almost immediately upon arriving back at the Beach Club, Jack and Sadie both collapsed on their beds and fell asleep.  Truthfully, the grown-ups were not far behind them!  After a few hours of rest, we all felt fully restored and ready to take on our final evening at Disney World.  First stop, Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort!


Tip Time: Chef Mickey's is one of three onsite Disney World locations where guests can dine with some combination of the following classic characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto.  It is also one of the most difficult reservations to secure, so be sure to book your meals 180 days before your trip.

Chef Mickey's is located at Disney's Contemporary Resort, the only hotel within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom.  For those who would prefer not to walk, the Contemporary Resort is on the monorail loop to the Magic Kingdom; in fact, it runs directly through the hotel!!  Since we were planning to end our evening at the Magic Kingdom, Chef Mickey's was the perfect choice for dinner.

When we walked through the front doors of the Contemporary Resort, I was immediately hit with a wave of nostalgia.  We'd stayed at the Contemporary Resort on our first Disney trip, and although our subsequent Disney vacations have been absolutely amazing as well, I knew that nothing would ever quite compare to the pure magic we'd felt on that first trip.  As the rest of my family continued on to the restaurant, I lagged behind for a moment to take in my surroundings.  My private trip down memory lane was short-lived, however, shattered by the piercing voice of my daughter as she impatiently yelled over her shoulder, "Come ON, Mom!!  It's time to eat with Mickey!"

Dinner at Chef Mickey's

So off we went!  Prior to this trip, I'd never had the opportunity to eat at Chef Mickey's, so I was excited to try it out.  With its stellar reviews and difficulty of securing a reservation, I'd assumed that we were in for a real treat.  I was wrong.  To be fair, there was nothing really terrible about the restaurant.  The food was fine, the characters were fine, everything was fine.  In my opinion, however, Chef Mickey's does not hold a candle to Tusker House at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  Tusker House features the same cast of characters, but the food at Tusker House is infinitely more interesting, the staff is more attentive, and the characters spent more time with us.  In the Chef Mickey's vs. Tusker House contest, Tusker House absolutely gets my vote.

After dinner, we hopped on the monorail and headed for the Magic Kingdom.  When I first started planning this trip, I knew that I wanted to end our vacation with the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular, the nightly fireworks display at the Magic Kingdom.  On our first trip, we'd all been absolutely enthralled by the show.  Not as enthralling, however, were the hordes of people jostling for a viewing spot.  Even less thrilling was the post-fireworks logjam as some guests tried to leave and others attempted to head back into the park to hop on one last attraction.  To avoid the crowds and guarantee a stress-free departure after the show, I decided to make a reservation at the Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party.  It was, hands-down, one of the best decisions I'd made on the entire trip.

Next Up: Dessert and a Deluge

Meredith McCutcheon
Disney Specialist, Ginger's Getaways
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