Where to begin? I suppose that the easiest thing to do would be to start at the beginning. Several months ago, we were all asked if we’d like to go to Disney World. Those of you who know my family know of my time spent working for the mouse as well as many trips taken to the World by Boss and me as kids. We’ve even taken our small crew a couple of times, so there was no real burning desire to return. My mom, however, has been planning this trip at least since Ethel was born, possibly longer. We could stall no longer. With a full tank of gas, a full trunk, and a hopeful spirit we left on Friday the 21st of November for the happiest place on earth.
Our travels on Friday through the “great” state of South Carolina were uneventful and that evening we called it a day in Kingsland, Georgia. On the road bright and early and dealing with two wrecks on I-4 we finally made it to the hotel around 11:30 or so on Saturday. This time, our family decided to splurge and stay at the Beach Club Resort near EPCOT. I was looking forward to this as I’ve never stayed in a deluxe category hotel on property before. We settled in, explored our environs, and then got ready for dinner. We were hoping to use the pool, but the weather today was not lending itself for such endeavors. I had made reservations for the girls and my parents at the Beaches and Cream Soda Shop for dinner- so at this point I can’t weigh in on what they did. As for the boss and myself, we headed towards the Contemporary Resort. We went up to the top and had drinks at the California Grill and took in the sights before heading to dinner at Narcoosee’s located in the Grand Floridian.
Again, this was a first as I have never eaten in a signature restaurant here at Disney World. The meal was quite tasty. The chef came out to the table and I was provided a special menu highlighting items that were of no risk to me. I had the first order of fried calamari I have had in two years and they were great. They were breaded in corn meal and the kitchen uses a dedicated fryer so no cross-contaminiation issues. The boss had the PEI Mussels and they too were fantastic. One of the highlights was the gluten free bread they brought out. Refills of this bread were definitely required. My main dish was a local fish over a root-vegetable base. Oh, my. That means it was was real good. The boss had a shrimp dish with brown rice pasta. Also, tasty. For dessert, I went with the chocolate coconut creme brûlée. It had the taste and the consistency of a melted mounds bar and was a fantastic way to end the meal. Our service was wonderful, the food and wine great, and our view of the castle changing colors in the night was magical (did I say that?).
I woke up on Sunday the 23rd a tad on the excited side. See, it’s my birthday-hence the title for this entry. Not only a nod to my birthday but to the old song that brought you home on Spaceship Earth. The song is now relegated to history and memories. Fortunately, I am very much alive! We had made plans to spend our morning in the Animal Kingdom and I had made breakfast reservations for 8:10 at the Tusker House Restaurant. The plan was to eat and try to ride the safari before the park got too crowded. Last week, Disney backed up the opening hour to 8 and added an extra magic hour. For us that meant the park opened at 7. So, at 6:30 we were on the bus heading that way. At 7 we were through the turnstiles heading towards Expedition Everest. Ethel had a little apprehension about the ride, but about 10 seconds in she was proclaiming loudly that “this is awesome!” By the time we exited we took our time walking through a fairly empty park to our breakfast. Again, the chef came out and walked me around high-lighting items I could eat. I am pleased to report that no sickness is to be reported. Our service was suspect however. A few hours later I went back to mention this, just because as a former cast member I have certain expectations. I explained my concerns to him, told him I didn’t want anything for this, but still got a fast-pass for the family. We used it on everest later and considered it a bonus. After breakfast we rode the safari and saw tons of animals, took in the lion king show, and before leaving the park rode the rapids. My mom and the boss bore the brunt of this ride and got soaked. The rest of us were either damp or completely dry.
At this point it was time to head back and take a rest. All of us managed to get an hour or so of rest and then we had birthday cake, I got some presents, and when we returned from the park there were balloons and a mickey waiting for me. My whole family worked hard to make my birthday special and for that I am grateful. Our evening plans took us to EPCOT. One of the great benefits of staying at this location is we are able to walk to EPCOT in about 5 minutes. We entered at the International Gateway and were greeted by the sounds of the British Revolution playing some tunes. We stopped and I listened for a bit and then we walked towards The Land to use our Soarin’ fast-pass. Before this, we rode Living with the Land to learn about food production-again. Sadly, the “Listen to the Land” song is also long gone. The stand-by line for Soarin’ was 90 minutes and I am glad we didn’t have to wait. It is a neat ride, but not worth that time investment in my opinion. From there we went to The Seas and rode The Seas with Nemo before taking in Turtle Talk with Crush. Spaceship Earth was next. I miss the old narration with Walter Cronkite and the song. This is truly not the Disney of my youth. As our evening was drawing to a close, we hit a few countries on the way out. We rode the ride in Mexico (and had a margarita), stopped for shave ice in Japan, and grabbed some pastries in France for the morning. All in all, not a bad way to spend a birthday.
A few observations about my time here so far…
1. Thank you Georgia and Florida for recognizing that there is heavy traffic on I-95 and creating roads to handle it. North Carolina and South Carolina-wake up.
2. Traffic in Orlando, particularly near the attractions is atrocious.
3. Deluxe resorts are nice.
4. Narcoosee’s is good.
5. The Animal Kingdom is rapidly becoming my favorite park.
6. You gotta fight to get your gluten-free on-sometimes.
Photos to come…