WDW Trip 2016-Part 9: Chef Mickey's and Swimmin'

Continuing to share with you the way we spent our 3rd day of our week in Florida back in March. After spending the first 3 hours of our day in Disney's Animal Kingdom we left to go to lunch at Chef Mickey's restaurant. 

The Contemporary Resort is one of the WDW hotels that opened at the same time as the Magic Kingdom back in October 1971. It is the Disney resort closest to the Magic Kingdom; within walking distance as a matter of fact. The 
A-Frame design building is unique in that the track of the Magic Kingdom monorail look runs through just above the Grand Canyon Concourse on the 4th floor.

 For many long time Disney fans this hotel is the one anchored in their personal memories of visiting Florida as kids. 

It took us about 10 minutes to drive from the Animal Kingdom to the Contemporary. 

It was the first time I'd been there, other than a quick trip through it during a ride on the monorail back in 2004. 

To be honest with you, I will probably only ever spend time at this resort as a visitor and not a guest. With room rates starting at more than $350 per night, for me, the cost is prohibitive for several reasons. But that's a subject for another blog post at another time. Let me get back to the tale of our lunch experience. 

We parked in the lot outside Bay Lake Tower, the Disney Vacation Club wing of the resort, and took the elevator to the 5th floor. After a short walk across the Skyway bridge we were on the 4th floor of the Contemporary tower. 

We checked in with the cast member at the front desk of the restaurant. We were given a blinking pager and told it would be a few minutes until our table was ready. 

We were pointed toward a Photopass area to have some pictures taken as a memento of our visit. 

Unfortunately at this point the headache that had bothered Brandi all day had gotten rather intense. She needed something to drink and a place to relax for a few minutes. We wandered across the concourse to the Outer Rim lounge.

We just sat and chilled for a few. Aria was all about her Nana and her Simba. 

After about 15 minutes the pager went off and we headed to the restaurant for our lunch. 

The "core five" of all the Disney characters (Walt's company was built on the shoulders of these animated pioneers) is the reason we booked this lunch. It was great to get a second "up close" encounter with them. But the buffet turned out to be worth the time as well. More on that is coming up. 

From the moment we were shown to our table I could tell that the experience was going to be better than the character lunch at Hollywood & Vine the day before. 

The theme for the restaurant was, of course, Mickey Mouse. The classic Mickeys were everywhere. 

I really liked those incorporated into the back of the chairs. 

As we waited for our waitress to come and take our drink order, Aria continued to be all about her Nana. 

Our table was along the left wall of the dining area about 2 tables past the little alcove that led to the "backstage" kitchen area so the characters came to our table either just before or just after they took a break. 

Now here's a quick review of our own personal character parade. 

First to the table was Donald Duck. He signed Aria's autograph book and...

...at Aria's suggestion, posed with Paula. 

Next to our table was Pluto. Two days earlier in the Magic Kingdom, Aria had seen Pluto but didn't like him very much. 

As you can see from this picture she wasn't very enthusiastic about interacting with him this time either. 

So he just signed her autograph book and I buddied up with Mickey's pal for a picture. 

It was the little lady of the group that came by the table next. My grand daughter was delighted to see her new friend again. 

 I was at the buffet when Minnie came around but the pictures show that it was a happy reunion. 

The next reunion would prove to be a little more interesting. 

When "The Big Cheese" came to our table he started with a wave.  

This time Mickey didn't talk to her so she seemed to be okay with him. She even posed for a picture and even let him close enough to get half a hug. 

Then, of course, Papa had to get in on the act and amazingly, Mickey got a genuine Aria smile. 

It's not much of a surprise that as far as I'm concerned the last character to come by was the best.

Aria wasn't overly excited about Goofy but I sure was. It had been over 5 years since me and "the goof" posed for a picture together on my 50th birthday trip. 

Paula took this shot and managed to get not only me and Goofy but Brandi too. She also managed to get Aria's reaction to Goofy's silly antics. 

The characters did a good job at making their way around the entire restaurant and giving each table plenty of attention. 

Similar to the Disney Jr. characters at our DHS lunch, the Fab 5 occasionally would gather together and do a "celebration" dance. Not anything special but when it comes to the beloved characters, just a little bit of a show is always fun.

Now you'll notice there wasn't any pictures of James in that meet & greet section. That's because he was busy doing his best to empty the buffet. So now that I've shared our character experiences let's turn toward what was James' focus during our lunch, the food. 

As I was doing some research for this post, I noticed that a lot of the online reviews for Chef Mickey's by the so called "Disney experts" have a very negative opinion of the food. 

Now as a person who has a stomach about the size of my fist thanks to my surgery a few years ago, eating mass quantities at a buffet is not something I can do without severe discomfort and digestive consequences. So don't take my food experience at Chef Mickey's as any kind of guideline for what it will be like for you (unless you've had the same type of surgery). 

While I only tried about 4 or 5 of the items, what I did have was very good. The kielbasa was delicious. The "mickeyroni & cheese" was good. The pasta was shaped like classic Mickey heads. 

But out of the few foods I ate there are two that I really liked.  

While not fancy and pretty common on the breakfast menus throughout Disney World the Mickey waffles are the best I've ever had. I may be easy to please when it comes to waffles but I loved these. 

The other memorable food item was a small simple dessert called "Mickey Domes". 

Modeled after the popular mouse ears hat, the dessert is a chocolate cream filled sandwich cookie topped with a half sphere of chocolate mousse and a pair of round dark chocolate candies. It was indescribably delicious. 

Now I know that 3 of the 4 foods I mentioned happened to be shaped like Mickey Mouse but that's rather common in the Disney food world. I chose them because they looked and smelled good and they were. 

Within the Disney Fan community it is an accepted conclusion that Chef Mickey's is the quintessential character meal in Walt Disney World. 

Now that I've been there I would have to agree. Chef Mickey's is a character meal restaurant in Disney deluxe resort. That makes the standards it has to meet much higher than those in the moderate and value resorts and especially the parks. I found the food to be above average and the atmosphere to be unique. In addition, while your eating the monorail whizzes by overhead through the Grand Canyon Concourse of the Contemporary Resort. You can't get any cooler than that. 

Our lunch was over but Brandi's headache continued. She needed to go back to, what Aria had come to refer to as "our new house" and rest.  We were all tired from the activity of the past few days so we (Paula & I) agreed to go back and just chill at the house. 

Aria, however, had a different idea, she wanted to go swimming. The heater in the private pool at our vacation home was not working right. It made the water too warm to make for an enjoyable swim. 

So while James went into Kissimmee to get Brandi's Tahoe washed, Nana & Papa took our grand daughter to the community pool in our resort. 

For me, this turned out to be one of the best times of the entire vacation. Paula didn't want to get in the water. So she sat on a lounge chair and watched Aria and me swim in the pool for about an hour or so. 

 We had a great time with just the water and a small pink bucket. We played until James came back to pick us up and take us back to the house. 

We got changed and headed out to the Black Angus Steakhouse nearby for dinner. The restaurant is at the corner of West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway (Rt 192) and North Old Lake Wilson Road. It was James suggestion to have dinner there. It was a pretty nice place. The entrees were priced in the $15-$25 range and includes lots of choices other than steak. 

After dinner we took a short drive down Bronson Memorial Highway to look at some of the local shops. The one James wanted to see was closed. After a brief stop at a Walgreens to pick up some incidentals, we headed back to the Windsor Hills resort. 

By the time we got back it was after 9PM. Our 3rd day in Florida was over. We said our "good nights" and went to bed. The next day we would make a 1 hour trip east so 4 of the 5 people in our group could dip their toes into the Atlantic Ocean surf for the first time. 

Coming Up in Part 10: Surf, Sand, and Sunburn and our visit to the Flower and Garden festival. 

Bayview Gifts
So after our lunch, we decided it would be best to head on back to the vacation home. Later in the afternoon we would go out to dinner and then we would spend the evening just chilling at the house.

WDW Trip 2016-Part 8: Animal Kingdom In The Morning

Before I get started with a review of our 3rd day at Walt Disney World let me explain a couple of factors that effected our plans. 

Originally we intended for our day to include going to Animal Kingdom and then heading to Epcot for the evening. We also had a midday character meal planned as well. 

We had purchased a "buy 4 days get a 5th day free" Disney park ticket from the discount outlet, Undercover Tourist.  So burning 2nd park admission for just a few hours in Epcot wouldn't cost us anything extra.   
But in the morning as I was double checking some information online, I remembered something about Disney's policy regarding the use of admission tickets. 

A guest is not allowed to use more than one park admission in one day. That's what the Park Hopper add on feature is for. I had totally forgotten this ticket glitch during my planning. So even before we left the house that morning our plans for the day had changed. 

As I've mentioned earlier in this series, Brandi was experiencing the ill effects of her early stages of pregnancy the whole week. But on this day she was really feeling it. But being the "trooper" that she is, she did her best to keep going. 

Of course, her health was a top priority. So whatever she needed to do to deal with her condition, we made sure she did. In addition, by Tuesday afternoon fatigue had set in on the rest of us as well. We all needed a long break. 

I explain these things at the start of this post as a way of showing that, despite preparation and planning, things happen that change the game while on vacation. No vacation goes perfectly. The important thing is, especially when you are in a multi-family group, to be flexible. There will inevitably be some disappointments, illnesses, and obstacles to deal with. 

But they can be handled if you roll with them, look for alternatives, and most importantly, be considerate to the others in your group. Do this and some how it almost always seems to work out to be some of the best vacation memories.  

Now on to the day as it was...

Day#3 of our Florida vacation started off with the Conner family putting on their second set of matching shirts. 

About 8:30am the 5 of us headed for Disney's Animal Kingdom. Although we were all a bit tired there was an excitement about visiting James' favorite park. (He really was excited in this pic the sun was in his eyes)

Just like the two days before, the plans for this day were driven by our Fast Pass reservations in addition to our lunch plans. 

Our first FP was for the Kilimanjaro Safari 40 minutes after the park opened at 9am. We entered the park about 9:20. 

After Aria picked out her "souvenir du jur", a plush Simba, we headed to the Africa section of the park through the left side of the Oasis, past the park icon, The Tree of Life. 

Our plan was to ride the safari, see couple of shows, go to lunch, and then return later to explore the rest of the park. Those plans would change. 

We reached the queue for Kilimanjaro Safari just as our Fast Pass time window started. We only waited a few minutes before we were on board our tour jeep and heading into the Harambe Animal Reserve area. 

This attraction has changed quite a bit since the last time Paula and I were on it back in 2010. The story line that featured the guests playing a part in tracking down poachers trying to capture a baby elephant is gone. 

The animals have become a bit more visible. Paths and rope bridges have been created to accommodate the Wild Africa Trek, a guided tour separate from the safari attraction. 

Although the lions were a little far away during our time in their area we did get some good shots of other animals.

After we were finished with the safari it was time to head across the park to Dinoland to get in line for the 11:00 performance of "Finding Nemo The Musical."

Afterward we would cross back over to Africa and use our Fast Pass for the Festival of the Lion King show. 
(I wasn't purposely torturing my family by making them walk across Animal Kingdom twice. The 11AM performance of Finding Nemo was the only scheduled time that fit into our day's plan. Thus we had to cross the park twice). 

It was at this point that I luckily discovered a mistake in my planning that could have really caused some problems for us in regard to our lunch at Chef Mickey's. 

I had planned our day around our lunch reservation time being 1:50 that afternoon. But on the way Theater In The Wild venue I mentioned our plans for right after the show. It was then that Brandi pointed out the lunch time was 1:05, not 1:50. 
Fortunately we discovered of my mistake was in time. If we'd have gone on to the Lion King show we would have missed our lunch with the Fab 5. 

"Finding Nemo The Musical" is one of the 2 best shows in Animal Kingdom. It's yet another with puppets. But it's unique from any other, in that it is done in a "big blue" way (a pun aimed at those familiar with this show). The performance style has the puppeteers work the puppets while visible on stage in a costume that complements the character. 

You can see what I mean in this shot (found on a Disney fan website) of the 3 main puppets, Dory, Marlin & Nemo. 

It also works for the surrounding characters. 

And for the really big characters.

The play follows the story of the movie but with specially written songs. It's a "Broadway quality" show and one worthy of the name "Disney."
Once father and son clown fish, and their forgetful new blue friend are reunited in the Big Blue World of The Theater In The Wild, we headed out of Animal Kingdom.  

Although our reservation for lunch at Chef Mickey's was made mainly to spend time with the mainstays of the Disney character corps. As it turned out, it was probably the best "on property" meal we had our entire trip. 

At about 12:30 we were back in Brandi's Tahoe heading to the Contemporary Resort. 

Coming Up: Lunch with the Fab 5 and "ears" to the best dessert ever!! Come on back for Part 9.

WDW Trip 2016-Part 7: Face Painting, Fantasmic & Fireworks

Our activities during our last few hours in Disney Hollywood Studios involved a combination of things from the past with a glimpse into the future. 

About 4PM we headed for Pixar Place to take advantage of  our Fast Pass Plus reservations. 

This was the first time any of us had ever been on the most popular attraction in "The Studios". Scoring a FP+ for this ride less than 2 weeks in advance was an extremely lucky break. 

The queue is very detailed and a lot of fun to take in while waiting to ride. There are so many references and representations of classic toys that everyone remembers from their childhood. 

The animated target game based on popular carnival midway games is a lot of fun. You have to wear 3D glasses which gives the target screens their depth. You use a spring action shooter just like those you might see at an actual carnival. 

It took us about 10-15 minutes to get to the front of the FP line. We were split into 2 groups but put in the same car. As you can see from the picture below (not our car) the seats are back to back. Paula and I were on one side and the kids were on the other. That meant we rode back to back so I couldn't see Aria's reaction to the experience.

But from this selfie they took I think all three of the Conners really had a good time. 

At the end of the ride you get to see a screen with your scores. Brandi took a shot of their screen. She was player 2 and had the highest score of all of us. 

As we exited the Midway Mania building we were all talking about how cool it was. 

I now understand why some guests are willing to wait in line for hours for the ride. It's a "must do" for any park visitor. 

We walked around Pixar Place for a while and ran into one of my favorite walk around characters from Toy Story. 

I already had a picture of me and him together from our 2010 trip. So I thought it only appropriate to have someone else do the honors this time. You know, a kind of "Thank you for your service" type moment. 

  Although she was initially very hesitant to take a picture by herself, after her daddy did it, Aria got in on the act too. 

On our way out of Pixar Place, Aria spied a kiosk that offered face painting. Of course, she asked to have it done. Her wish was granted. She really liked her new look. When her Nana wanted a picture, she struck a pose. 

 And she owned it in a selfie with her mom as well. 

Before we left Mickey Avenue there was one more attraction that I HAD to visit; Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. 

I am a really big fan of Disney history. In Walt Disney World this is where you find it.   

Because of the planned expansion and changes in the park the rumored closing of this attraction has been circling for quite a while. Chances are it's exhibits are going to end up at the Disney Family museum out in San Francisco. So this was probably my last chance to visit it. 

I explained my reasons for wanting to see the attraction to my family and they agreed to wait for me to go through. 

As I walked inside, Paula and Aria soon followed me. Between the two of us we managed to keep an eye on our granddaughter and take in the memorabilia and models on display. Here are a couple of my favorites:

A scale model of Cinderella's Castle used as a guide during the construction of the Magic Kingdom...

...and an exhibit about the creation of "It's A Small World" with a picture of Walt and costume designer, Mary Blair. 

 After visiting "One Man's Dream" and heading down Sunset Boulevard to get in line for Fantasmic, we returned one more time to the Animation Courtyard. That's where we saw the "Voyage of The Little Mermaid" show. 

This was yet another classic Disney story retold live on stage with live actors...

 black light puppets... 

and, of course, music. Although Paula had seen this show back in 2004, it was the first time for the rest of us.   

As I mentioned in my last post, I like any show Disney does with puppets. That includes this one. However having been in "The Studios" for 24 years, it is showing it's age and, in my opinion, is in need of a refurbishment. But it probably won't happen because, I'm not sure it's going to survive the expansion of the park over the next few years. 

By this time of the day our buffet lunch had worn off and we were all hungry. We headed down Sunset Blvd and stopped at the food court area on the left side. Although it was crowded and a bit busy, we managed to find a table to sit and eat something. 

It was about this time that the fatigue of the day kind of set in for our group. We needed to rest and refuel. We ate our supper and then got in line for the 7:30 Fantasmic show. 

After the short walk up the hill to the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater. We found our seats in bleachers on the right side facing the lagoon and gigantic mountain.  

 A DJ was entertaining everyone with music and some crowd participation games. Once we were seated there was still about 30 minutes before the start of the show. 

It was nice to be able to just sit and relax for a few minutes. The day had transformed from afternoon into early evening. As the sun went down it got a bit cooler but still very comfortable. 

For the 2nd time in the day, I got to sit next to Brandi and Aria. However, my grand daughter was busy talking to her aunt on the "Face Time" app and playing with her Nana.

She also met and enjoyed interacting with a little girl who was sitting behind us. Coincidentally, her name was Aria too and she was only about a month or two older than my grand daughter. 

James seemed to like that he had met someone his own age to talk to. It was good to see him be the social type person I know he likes to be. 

"Fantasmic" was just as good as it was when I saw it for the first time 12 years ago. I love the water screens and Mickey appearing in both his sorcerers' outfit and in his tux.

We had one final event to enjoy before our long day was over. It required us to cross the entire park one more time. 

Based on my research I decided that the best place to view the "Symphony In The Stars" fireworks was in front of the Hollywood & Vine restaurant. 

Once we arrived back in the Echo Lake area we claimed a spot on the wall in front of the restaurant. But the view wasn't as good as I expected it to be. After doing some solo scouting I moved our group down to sit on some steps near Echo Lake. It was close to where Aria had fed the ducks earlier. 

The fireworks show set to the iconic John Williams Star Wars soundtrack were amazing. Although I didn't take any pictures myself, I did manage to find this shot online. With the boat that houses Min & Bill's Dockside Diner in the foreground, it is very close to what was our view.  

Our day at Disney Hollywood Studios ended about 8:15. The long walk out of the park to the car made me realize just how tiring the last couple of days had been. 

A good night's rest was very much needed. A visit to James' favorite Disney Park awaited us the next morning. The story of our magical vacation continues in my next post. 

Coming Up: Going on Safari, the Fab 5, and taking the night off.