Jaime Walden - September 2005

DAY 3: Sunday, September 4, 2005 – PLEASE, PLEASE, MAY I HAVE SOME CHEESE?
CAST: Jaime (me): 37, Disney freak
Rhonda (sister): 55, Disney freak
Ruth: works with Rhonda
Sandy: used to work with Rhonda & Ruth

At 6AM the phone rings, I hit the speaker button. Weird music I couldn’t quite make out, Stitch saying something I couldn’t quite make out, Mickey apologizing for Stitch’s behavior, and Stitch yelling "Get Moving!" I love Stitch.

We have a 7:30 ADR for Kona Cafe at the Polynesian. If Rhonda doesn’t get a Tonga Toast, well... I don’t know what would happen because I’m not stupid enough to find out! They all had tongas, I had Pineapple & Macadamia Nut Pancakes, yum!

After breakfast, we walked the path over to the wedding chapel and then over to the Grand Floridian, which has really nice bathrooms! Hysterics again because they were working on the walking path right outside of the GF Spa, so we had to detour around on the grass – er, I mean MUD! Remember all the rain yesterday?

Then we took the monorail to the Contemporary to look around and then back to the Polynesian to get the car (you didn’t think I’d just leave it there, did you??? For shame!)

Then we drove over to EPCOT. First stop, Soarin’. 40 minute line, so we got Fast Passes. We rode Living with the Land (does anyone else get a thrill when asked to be a line timer?) and saw The Circle of Life Movie, then it was time for the Fast Pass. Holy Toledo!!! What a ride! We’re doing that again later! Now, Rhonda and I had discussed the plan of attack earlier, it was late when we got to EPCOT today and we’d be back Friday for a FULL day, so the most reasonable decision was to head out to the World Showcase now, and leave Future World for Friday morning. So we headed for Canada. (We have a 6pm ADR in Italy.)

Have I mentioned the last time Sandy was in WDW, it was the early 70s? So it’s ALL new to her. And Rhonda and I like to show off our parks. So we were doing stuff we usually only do every few trips. So into the Canada movie we go! This day is a bit of a blur... I know I had a Mickey Bar at some point, I know we went into the tea shop in England, I know we went into the movie in France (nothing against the movie in France, I fell asleep before it even began. I did wake up, strangely enough, during the wedding scene and showed Sandy the hidden Mickey in the window above the couple, but then fell back to sleep again. I know we stopped for pastries in France – creme brulee (my favorite), chocolate eclair, and Napoleon were split be me & Rhonda). I know I walked them all through Morocco (my favorite pavilion!), we showed them the koi ponds in Japan, we missed the 3:45 show in America because I was in the bathroom (guess I remember more than I thought!), caught most of Romeo & Edna in Italy, walked through the tiny village in Germany, stopped at the Outpost for Ruth to get a lemonade. While sitting at the Outpost, something funny happened – Timone & Rafiki were out doing a character greet. There’s a line for pictures and people are walking by. A group walks by and a man announces, "Hey, Look! There’s Simba and that dumb monkey!" And they continue walking. (Remember this incident for later, Friday, actually).

We keep heading counter-clockwise, but time is getting short for our 6pm ADR in Italy, so we just head to the Maelstrom and ride that.

Then we headed back to Italy. We check in, everyone rotates to the bathroom, and I happily sit and watch the Italian men who were seating people. Aaaaahhh.. so happy. So pretty. Even if the food here was awful, I’d still show up for the waiters... Franchesco and Diego, I miss you already! We’re seated in a little room in the back that I didn’t even know was there! And we had a beautiful waitress, cannot remember her name, but she was just lovely. We told her we were on the dining plan, and she explained our choices (basically anything on the menu – 1 appetizer, 1 entree, 1 dessert, and 1 non-alcoholic beverage each. Duh. We knew that.) I went with Misto di Insalate dell 'Orto - a salad of wild greens with sweet grape tomatoes and our Italian raspberry vinaigrette dressing - $5.95, Le Originali Fettuccine all'Alfredo - Our world famous creation invented in our parent restaurant in Rome in the early 1900s. Homemade egg noodles tossed in a special butter and parmigiano cheese $18.50 Rhonda went with Misto di Insalate dell 'Orto - a salad of wild greens with sweet grape tomatoes and our Italian raspberry vinaigrette dressing - $5.95, Filetto di Bue al Gorgonzola - grilled beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon and topped with imported Gorgonzola cheese with a sherry wine sauce and served with rosemary roasted potatoes and fresh vegetables, served medium rare. $28.95 Sandy had Alfredo's Famous Caesar Salad - Romaine lettuce tossed in home made Caesar dressing and topped with smoked bacon and our own paper thin herbed crouton $6.95, Ossobuco di Maiale in Gremolata - slow roasted pork shank in a sauce of demiglace, porcini mushroom, barbera wine, tomato and gremolata served with rosemary roasted potatoes and fresh vegetables $27.95. And Ruth had Mozzarella alla Caprese - Vine ripe red and yellow tomatoes with fresh bufala mozzarella imported from the Naples region with virgin olive oil, and fresh basil $10.50, lasanga (I can’t find a price on that one right now) I think the beverages were 2 coke and 2 iced teas. I have to see if Rhonda still has the bill.

Now, the strangest moment I have EVER had in Disney: When the entrees were brought out, the first 2 out were Sandy’s pork and Ruth’s lasagna. Rhonda and I had nothing in front of us – NOTHING – on our side of the table and the busboy comes over with the cheese. (Aaaah, the busboy, pretty enough to be a waiter, if you ask me.) He looks straight at me, and only at me for the entire exchange, and says, "Cheese?" THERE’S NO FOOD IN FRONT OF ME!!! I am lost in his dreamy eyes for a few seconds and finally respond with a sensuous, provocative, "Huh?" To which the hunk of his village, I’m sure, replies, "Come. I will take you away and make spectacular love to you over and over again." Except it sounds like, "Cheese?" THERE'S NO FOOD IN FRONT OF ME!!! Trying desperately to FOCUS and stop thinking about rolling around on a bed covered with parmesan with this man, I come to and say, "Oh! Cheese? On her lasagna? {pointing to Ruth} Ruth, do you want cheese on your lasagna?" Yes, she does. And he puts cheese on her lasagna (and in my head is still rolling around in it...) He leaves and we’re all a little dumbstruck. Did that just happen? We decide "cheese" might be the only English word he’s learned so far, but none of us would kick him out of bed, so that’s ok. I crown myself General Cheese – if you want cheese the rest of the trip, you have to ask me first! Then something else weird happens...<.p>

Ruth asks for a glass of water from the waitress. Rhonda sees the waitress tell a busgirl to bring the water. The busgirl comes out of the kitchen with a tray of 4 water glasses (we only needed 1), looks around, then takes the tray back into the kitchen. She comes out a minute later, still carrying the tray of 4 water glasses, looks around, and goes back into the kitchen again. By this point, Rhonda is laughing. She comes out without the tray, and as she goes past, Ruth asks for the water again. She goes back into the kitchen (probably very relieved to finally know WHERE the water goes), comes back out with the tray of 4 water glasses, and proceeds PAST Ruth to bring ME the water! We decide Ruth is invisible and I will have to make sure she gets food and beverage the whole trip!

Desserts were 2 caramel-vanilla custard things, a cannoli, and a chocolate mousse. The numbers above equal $104.75, but I think with dessert, beverages, lasagna, tax, and tip, we were at least $175. Must check.

We rolled out of there and decided to find a spot for Illuminations (since we couldn’t walk another step anyway!). We got a bench on the edge of Italy that juts out into the water – it was the best spot I have ever watched Illuminations from! We sit for a while after the fireworks to let the crowds thin out a little then head through Mouse Gears on our way to the car. We drive back to Pop, get our mugs out of the car, and pick up a night time beverage (frozen raspberry for me this time, they are out of frozen coke.) Another late night.

HIGHLIGHTS= Soarin’!, "Cheese" incident. Being able to WALK around EPCOT (I had foot surgery last year, so I haven’t WALKED EPCOT since May, 2004! Although I’ll pay for this later in the week.)
LOWLIGHTS= Nothing! What a great day!
TOMORROW= Labor Day, ANIMAL KINGDOM & The Boardwalk!

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