Jessica Johnson - 2006

The thing I hate the most about the Disney cruise is how early you have to be up and off the ship. Don't get me wrong, I love how efficient Disney is, and how we can be on the ship at noon when we're departing, but the system sucks when you're leaving.

So, we got up, got ready, and then packed up the last few things we had to take (we had our laptop bags and a rolling carry on) and then left the room for the last time. Breakfast is always in the same place you had your last dinner, so we headed to Lumiere's to our normal table, for the last time. Breakfast was over too quickly- and then we had to say goodbye to our servers. We had another server take a group picture of us with them, and then we said our goodbyes, with a lot of hugs, and a few tears.

Then, that was it, we lugged our stuff off the ship, and headed to the luggage area. After locating our stuff, we made our way through customs, and out into the parking lot. We said our goodbyes to Robin, Vince and Vincent who were leaving, and then split off with Tom and Carla to find our shuttle. We located our driver fairly quickly, and then set off to get back to the Inn at Cocoa Beach. The driver missed our turn and had to turn around, but it took just a few minutes, and then we were back at the Inn. Chris handled unloading our luggage while I headed in to get our keys, and then we said goodbye to Tom and Carla, and made our way back to Disney.

I can't just get off the ship and be done with the trip, I think you need at least a one night buffer. So, we'd booked a night at the Boardwalk in a Studio. Boardwalk was the only deluxe we hadn't yet stayed in, so we were looking forward to this. We pulled up at the hotel, and I headed in to check in, while Chris dealt with the luggage and the valet. As a random point of note, they really like you to take a photo id when you check in. I wasn't thinking and had left my purse in the car, and just put a credit card in my pocket. But- the Cast Member was able to work with that, and I just showed him my id when Chris got to the front desk.

Our room wasn't ready, so we were given a welcome packet and a phone number to call later on. Chris and I took some time to check out the holiday display in the lobby, it's a huge living room setup with Mickey and Minnie and a holiday tree. There are Hidden Mickeys on it, so we found all of them, and then headed downstairs to the Boardwalk, where we wandered around for a little bit.

We called Steve, and made plans to meet at Animal Kingdom, where we would see a soft opening of the new Nemo musical. Chris and I headed back to the valet where we collected the car, and then drove over to AK. We decided to walk up to the entrance rather than deal with the tram, and after dealing with bag check, we took a few pictures of the Christmas tree out front, and then made our way into the park.

This is the park that Chris and I like the least, so we were sort of lost. Chris stopped and asked a Cast Member at the tip board about Nemo, and we learned there were two shows that day, and that they recommend we get in line about an hour ahead of time. We called Pam and Steve, and learned that we wouldn't make the first one, but the other was at about 3 pm, so they said they'd call when they got to the park, and Chris and I set off to find some food.

The nearest place to grab a hot dog was in Dinoland, so we headed that way, and got some food. After we ate, we wandered around taking pictures of the holiday decorations. Since we still had some time, we wandered some more, and ended up in Camp Minnie Mickey, and then in Africa, where we got some fruit at Tusker House.

Eventually Pam and Steve called, and we made our way over to meet up with them. On their way in, someone had given them three of the Dream Fastpasses (not the Dream Squad, but someone who had won them and was leaving). Pam didn't want to ride Everest, so she gave Chris her pass, and we headed back that way. Chris, Hanna and Steve got on the ride, and Pam and I made our way to the exit to wait for them. We thought we saw them waving from the ride- but it turns out we were just waving to strangers.

When they met back up with us, we decided it was time to head over and get in line for Nemo. It was a bit confusing, they moved the line around a few times while we were in it, but eventually we were inside the theatre, where we found some seats in the last row of the front section. The stage is fairly large, and there are screens on the side with bubbles on them. Projected across the front was the logo for the show. They make several announcements about taking pictures, none of which Chris seemed to hear. Even though there were Cast Members patrolling the theater, they seemed to miss him taking pictures. I didn't even realize he had until the finale, when I looked over and saw him holding the camera up, and I made him lower it so he didn't get caught.

The show is very cute- I really enjoyed it. There was one thing that I found strange, and that was the use of puppets. If you've seen the Aladdin show at Disneyland, Iago is a puppet. He's obviously controlled by a handler, he usually rests on the handler's shoulder. But- it's very obvious that the handler tries to minimize their presence, so you just "see" the bird. In the Nemo show, the characters are puppets, much like Iago. But, the handlers are also actors- it seems to switch back and forth, you're supposed to see the puppet as the character, and then the actor seems to be pushing the puppet into the background. I found that a little odd, and sometimes it pulled me out of the fantasy of the show. I was also puzzled by the fact that the Sting ray teacher was a puppet controlled by someone riding a bicycle. But- beyond those things, I think it was very well done, and I'm glad we went to see it. It's definitely going to be a popular attraction!

After the show, we wandered down towards the Tree of Life. It turns out that the Jingle Jungle Parade would be coming through soon, so we found a spot to watch it from. Chris has never seen any parade at AK, so he got a kick out of it. When the parade was done, we debated doing a bunch of things, and finally settled on going to get some food.

We headed out to the parking lot, and walked back to the cars. On the way we couldn't decide where to eat, and in the end decided we didn't really want to go anywhere, so we split up, with plans to meet later that night for dinner. Chris and I drove back to the Boardwalk and left the car with the valet. I called from a lobby phone to get our room number, and we headed up to find our room.

I love the way the halls are decorated, with the picket fences. Our room was fairly far down the hall, but not too bad of a walk. We had booked a Studio, and this was the first time I had seen any of the studios, at any DVC resort. The room was large, with a great view of the Luna Park Pool. When you first open the door, you're in a large entryway. To your left is the closet, and if you walk forward about 10 feet, to your right is the bathroom. There's a vanity outside of the bathroom, and then the usual toilet and tub inside the bathroom. Across from the vanity is a kitchenette area, with a microwave, fridge and sink. There are some cabinets that hold plastic silverware and paper plates and bowls. Then, the room opens up, with the bed on the right. Past the bed is a sleeper sofa. On the left you'll find a table and chairs, and then beyond that an armoire housing the tv. The far wall had our balcony.

Chris ran downstairs to get some pictures of the pool before it got dark, while I waited for the luggage. Once the luggage arrived, I joined him, and we explored the area for a bit, taking lots of pictures. We ended up on the Boardwalk and were hungry, so we went to the bakery and got a fruit plate and brownie for me and a piece of peanut butter cake for Chris. He also wanted a funnel cake, so we got that, and then headed up to the room to relax and enjoy the food. We watched tv for a bit before showering and getting ready for dinner.

Tonight we'd booked Victoria & Albert's. Pam and Steve had never been, and we haven't been since January of 2004, so we figured it was a great time to go. Chris and I decided to head over a bit early to explore the hotel a bit, so we made our way over, and we wandered around taking some pictures, and checking out the Gingerbread House. Chris had offered to pick Pam and Steve up (they were staying at the Wilderness Lodge and planning to have the wine pairings), so he left me at the Grand, and I just continued to wander, take pictures and check things out. I went into most of the shops, and was surprised to see that on the second floor Bally's (the old leather shop) had been replaced by Basin).

Eventually, I saw the others come into the hotel, so I headed over to meet up with them, and we took the elevator upstairs to check in for dinner. Things went pretty quickly, once we opened the heavy doors, we were seated nearly immediately. We had a table for four in the middle of the dining room, next to the flowers. The atmosphere here is always so calm and elegant, and this was no different. I was surprised, though, when our servers came over and introduced themselves. They are no longer "Victoria" and "Albert" they now use their real names.

We were presented with our personalized menus, and then the various courses were explained. Our drink orders were taken (just water for me, Diet Coke for Chris), and then we had to choose our courses. We did, and things just proceeded from there.

The first thing you are brought is the Amuse Bouche. I can't remember exactly what they said it was, but it was basically a wrap, filled with salmon, and topped with caviar. Now- it's important to note that I consider myself a fairly adventurous eater. I have a long list of foods I don't care much for, mostly it has to do with texture. I try new things, and am generally willing to try just about anything. Compared to how Chris was when we married (he's now more adventurous than me), I didn't seem picky at all. But, I've always had two hard and fast food rules. One was no caviar. I just could never see the appeal, and sometimes I can't stomach eating things when I know what they are. So, this rule went out the window, because there was no real reason to avoid it. I mean, not what I wanted to eat, but it was just a little bit. So, I did it. It was ok- I certainly won't seek it out, but as a garnish, I could get it down to be polite.

Since there are generally two options for each course, Chris would go with one, and I'd go with the other, so we could share, and experience everything. Pam and Steve did the same. The first course I chose was Fennel Seared Colorado Buffalo Tenderloin, Braised Fennel, Radishes and Satsuma Tangerine Vinaigrette. I love buffalo, and this was really good. I'm not a huge fan of radishes, but in retrospect, I remember asking what the white, crunchy things were (they take the menus away after you order), and I'm only just now realizing they were radishes, so they weren't bad at all.

Chris chose the Long Island Duck with Tuscan Melon, Grains of Paradise and Minus Eight Vinegar. This was really good. I'm a bigger fan of buffalo than duck, so I'd go with my course over his again, but it's not because there was anything wrong with his dish.

The next course was Quail with Black Mission Fig Jam and Turnip Kraut. There were two sections of quail on the plate, one was a few slices on top of the turnip kraut, the other was almost a quail lollipop sitting in the fig jam. That was amazing- it was so good I almost couldn't save a taste of it for Chris.

Chris went with the Jamison Farms Lamb with Wild Mushroom Ragout, Porcini Pasta and Truffle Foam. This was quite good, though I don't really like lamb. The truffle foam was literally foam on top of the lamb. Chris said the pasta was wonderful, but I took his word for it.

My next course was the Maine Diver Scallop with Salsify and Cauliflower, Saffron Emulsion. I love scallops, and this one was huge, and very well cooked. It was garnished with some sort of oyster, and oysters are one of those texture foods I don't like, so I skipped that part. Chris's course was Arctic Char over Roasted Delicata and Pumpkin, Styrian Pumpkinseed Oil. Artic Char is a salmon like fish, and this dish was just amazing! You wouldn't normally think to pair fish with pumpkin, but it really worked, after one bite, it just seemed natural.

Next I ran into my second hard and fast food rule. I'm a big fan of game meats, so when I saw Elk on the menu, I jumped at it. However, the full name of the dish is New Zealand Elk with Potato Gnocchi and Veal Sweetbreads. I've made it a policy to never try sweetbreads. They sound like they'd be yummy, but really, it's a badly misleading name for what it is- brains! Not really something I want to eat, it was always on the even if I was stuck on a deserted island with no other food, I'm not going to try it list. So, when I ordered the elk, Chris was surprised. I told him though, that I was just not going to try the sweetbreads. When the dish came, Steve and Pam joined forces with Chris to persuade me to try them. I made Chris take a bite of it first, figuring he'd be honest with me if they were gross, and then, very reluctantly, I did. So, I'm sure I'm going to sound cliché- but do you know what brains taste like? Chicken. Seriously, in fact, it was kind of like a slightly burnt chicken finger. That said, I don't really plan to eat them again.

Now the Potato Gnocchi were amazing- as was the elk, but with all the hoopla surrounding the sweetbreads, that seemed to get lost.

Chris chose the Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin and Belly with Florida Corn and Cipollini Onions. It was really good- but, again, I was being a child about the sweetbreads, so I'm pretty sure that's all anyone remembers about that course.

Next up was the cheese course. Chris actually got the cheese, one of which he really liked, one he didn't, and one was ok. They always rattle the names off so quickly, we're rarely sure which cheese was which, but the menu said we had Comte Saint Antoine, Fourme D'Ambert, and Pierre Robert. I chose the Orange-Apricot Gelato with Micro Garden Mint instead. The Gelato was amazing. I tried some of the micro mint, it was served as a garnish, and it tasted much like you'd imagine any random plant would in your yard. Oddly, it wasn't really minty at all.

And that brings us to our last course- my favorite, the dessert. The last two times we've been there, I've gotten the chocolate mousse pyramid, and figured I had to branch out this time. So, I went for the Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee. This was one of the best crème brulees I've ever had. Chris even loved it, and as a rule, he doesn't like crème brulee. He chose the Poached Pear with Cassis Mousse and Spiced Cake. Chris loves pears, I don't really like them, so he was thrilled to have the chance to have one. I tried a bite, and it tasted like a good pear, but still a pear. The Spiced Cake was really good- almost gingerbready, but not quite.

We had also insisted that Pam and Steve get coffee, because you have to at Victoria & Albert's. Nothing fascinates people more than that coffee pot. Steve was mesmerized, almost to the point of not letting us speak. It turns out that if you ask, they can give you information on where you can get your own coffeepot just like it.

So, if that wasn't enough food- they bring you a little tray of goodies. A few candies and some cookies. We each tried something from the plate, and they were all wonderful. Pam and I were then given a rose, and our menus were brought back in a Victoria & Albert's bag. We asked our server to take a few pictures of us, and once she was done, we made our way out of the restaurant.

It's always a magical evening when you eat there, and this was no exception. We headed back to the deserted lobby and took some pictures of the gingerbread house. Chris and I found all of the Hidden Mickey's on it, and then we headed back out to get the car from the valet. We dropped Pam and Steve off and said we'd call them in the am when we figured out what we were going to do.

When we got back to the Boardwalk, we took a few more pictures, since the lobby was empty. I also stopped at the front desk to see if we could get late checkout (which apparently is not available in the Villas) and to get my room key replaced, because it had stopped working. Then, we headed up to the room and got ready for bed. We packed up as much of our crap as we could, and then arranged for a wake up call.

When our wakeup call came the next morning, we stumbled out of bed, got dressed and ready for the day and rounded up our luggage. We called Bell Services and handed over our bags, and then set out to explore the hotel. We ended up going just about everywhere except the Harbor Club, and that was only because it wasn't open. I also made arrangements to tour some spare rooms later that afternoon (my instructions were to come back late afternoon before the sun went down).

Chris and I then wandered around the Boardwalk for a bit, and then were relaxing in the rocking chairs off the lobby when we reached Steve. We made plans to meet up at the Yacht Club in about an hour or so, and Chris and I headed over then. We walked over to the Yacht Club and wandered around checking out the holiday display. There was a huge train display, and all of the various shops at the Yacht and Beach Club are represented. Whether on a building or a sign, you can find each one.

Then we set off to the Beach Club, and were looking at the holiday display there when Steve called. The Beach Club has the huge Gingerbread Carousel, and a Gingerbread Castle as well. We found all of the Hidden Mickeys on the Carousel, and then headed back over to the Yacht Club to meet the Forresters. We checked in at the Yacht Club and were quickly seated.

We were given the menu, and I took a copy of the children's menu as well to see what the new options were that had so many people up in arms on the internet. I decided to get the Just Dip It- assorted Fruits, Vegetables, Chicken Salad and Yogurt as an appetizer, and it turns out it was huge! The main plate had carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, pineapple, cucumber, apple and strawberry slices along with some crackers. In one ear, there was yogurt and in the other chicken salad. This would have easily been big enough for Chris and I to share as a meal. Chris got the Buffalo Chicken Strips- with Blue Cheese Dressing and Celery Sticks as an appetizer.

For our entrée, we split a burger, and the burgers here are always good. I wanted to try a dessert, so I got the Chocolate Mousse and took a few bites of it.

Then, we decided to head to Epcot, but by way of the Beach Club Lobby, so Pam and Steve could see the decorations. After checking them out, we headed to Epcot, to wander for a while. Once inside Epcot, we went right to Impressions de France, and then just took our time wandering the world showcase.

We got as far as Italy and decided to stop and rest for a while. Then, we decided we were all kind of tired, and it was getting late, so as much as we didn't want to, we decided to call it a night. We headed back to the International Gateway, and after saying our goodbyes, we headed back to Boardwalk.

At the hotel, I went to the front desk to see if I could get into some rooms, and they asked me to have a seat and said they'd get someone to show me around in about 15 minutes. Chris and I people watched in the lobby until Laura, a Cast Member from the front desk, came over and she took us on a tour.

Our first stop was one of the Garden Suites. These rooms are adorable- they're a suite with it's own garden. When you enter the room, you are in the living room. Off to one side is a wet bar and a powder room. To the other side is a huge staircase that leads to the bedroom, which is a loft with a king bed. There is also a master bath with a Jacuzzi tub.

Then we headed back to the "main" area of the building, and were taken to see a Standard Room, and then a Concierge Room, which is just like the Standard one, but in a separate wing, past the Concierge Lounge, which we also saw.

After that, we headed back through the lobby and over to the Villas side, where we saw a One Bedroom. Since the Two Bedrooms are basically a One Bedroom plus a Studio, we've kind of seen both of those now. That was the end of our tour, and the end of our trip. Sadly, we had to head back to the car, and then make our way back home.

All in all, the trip was amazing, and I was sad to see it end!

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