LuvTigger
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2000
Day 4: Thursday, October 11, 2001
This was our last full day here.
However, we rode all the major rides, and really enjoyed the leisurely pace and exploring the Grand Californian. We also ate a lot and shopped a lot!
We started with breakfast at Whitewater Snacks. This time I ordered from the menu. You tell the cashier what you want, pay for it, and they bring it out to you. I ordered the Biscuit & Egg ($4.95) which turned out to be an excellent choice! It was a huge biscuit with a fried egg, 2 slices of great smoke-flavored bacon, and cheese, topped with green onions, and 2 strawberries on the side. I couldn't finish it! I also had bottled orange juice ($2.95). Aaron picked up a fruit/cheese pocket ($2.25) and a brownie ($1.50). Total $12.52. (I realized later that they forgot to charge us for Aaron's drink. I thought the total seemed low!)
We went to DL and headed for City Hall to sign up for the Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour. This is normally $16 per person, but with DC you get 50% off, so it was only $16 for the 2 of us. They issued us tickets and told us to meet at the cart outside by 10:45. We walked around Main Street for a while and returned a little after 10:30. We split up into 2 groups, and apparently we should've gone with the other guide. Our's was named Vincent, and he was very boring. The tour did not live up to our expectations at all. I chose this tour because I have read all the books about Walt and Disney and expected some information that is not available in books. Though some of the info given was "new," most of it was not. He also disappointed the entire group by taking us all up a back stairway to the Disney Gallery to take us into the apartment that was being built about the time Walt died. Turns out the apartment was locked and there was a sign saying it was closed. The tour lasted about 2 hours, 15 minutes, and about 4-5 people bailed out half way through. I might do this again, but definitely not with Vincent.
We spent the rest of the day getting pressed pennies and shopping. We managed to get most of our Christmas shopping done, and got all of our Christmas cards from the Christmas store in New Orleans Square.
We headed to ESPN Zone for a late lunch and to get our free $10 game cards. They said it would be a 10-20 minute wait (which we thought was strange for 3:45 p.m.). They gave us a pager, in exchange for a driver's license or credit card (which I thought was strange), and we went upstairs to get our game cards, each with 40 credits. Most of the games we played were 8 credits, the Nascar race (8 credits each person), jet ski (8 credits each), and air hockey (8 credits per game). It seemed to be taking a long time for them to page us, so we went to check. We waited a couple minutes longer and were finally seated. Though our waitress was excellent, I didn't care for the service from everyone else. There were some guys who I assume were managers, wearing long sleeve shirts and ties, and all they did was look around, but didn't bother to check on anyone themselves. The food was okay. We both got a Zone Burger ($9.79) which was a HUGE burger with choice of cheese (American, Swiss, Cheddar, Mozarrella) and choice of side (this day was either cucumber salad or baked beans). It also came with lots of seasoned fries. On the burger was sauteed mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers. The burger was dry, but it helped to have the veggies on it. The cucumber salad was excellent, with tomatoes, basil, red onions, and mozarella cheese in a light dressing. We each had a soda ($2.39). Though the whole experience was okay, I don't know if I'd return. Total without tip, $26.19.
We hopped on the monorail and did more shopping at DL. We then went back to World of Disney and made a list of things to buy before leaving tomorrow. This turned out to be a good system. After this, we walked around the nooks and crannies of the hotel and took some pictures. We found out there's a fireplace OUTSIDE the hotel, right outside guest services on one side, and the Hearthstone Lounge on the other. We went back to the room so I could watch "Friends."
We went downstairs to the Storyteller's Cafe for a light dinner, or at least it was supposed to be light! Our server was great, Tim. We each had an iced tea ($2.25). I ordered the Corn Chowder ($5.75) which was excellent!!! The hotel tour guide said they were known for it, so I ordered it based on that recommendation. It had smoked ham, turkey, corn and potatoes, with a hint of cilantro. I also ordered the Farmer's Market Field Greens ($7.25) with baby mixed greens, sliced pear, pecans, and blue cheese in a vinaigarette, which was also excellent. (I could have stopped after the chowder, but had already ordered the salad, which I enjoyed anyway!) Aaron ordered the ribs whic he really liked ($19.95). It had about 6 pieces of ribs, fries, and green beans with red pepper and artichoke. The bread was great too, 2 typs. One like a cornbread muffin, and a loaf of white bread which was excellent, crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. Total without tip, $41.34. Definitely recommend!!! This restaurant also has a lot of detail in it, making it even more interesting.
We explored the hotel some more, mostly the pool area (only accessible with resort room key), then went back to the room to watch ER and turn in for the night.
This was our last full day here.
However, we rode all the major rides, and really enjoyed the leisurely pace and exploring the Grand Californian. We also ate a lot and shopped a lot!We started with breakfast at Whitewater Snacks. This time I ordered from the menu. You tell the cashier what you want, pay for it, and they bring it out to you. I ordered the Biscuit & Egg ($4.95) which turned out to be an excellent choice! It was a huge biscuit with a fried egg, 2 slices of great smoke-flavored bacon, and cheese, topped with green onions, and 2 strawberries on the side. I couldn't finish it! I also had bottled orange juice ($2.95). Aaron picked up a fruit/cheese pocket ($2.25) and a brownie ($1.50). Total $12.52. (I realized later that they forgot to charge us for Aaron's drink. I thought the total seemed low!)
We went to DL and headed for City Hall to sign up for the Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour. This is normally $16 per person, but with DC you get 50% off, so it was only $16 for the 2 of us. They issued us tickets and told us to meet at the cart outside by 10:45. We walked around Main Street for a while and returned a little after 10:30. We split up into 2 groups, and apparently we should've gone with the other guide. Our's was named Vincent, and he was very boring. The tour did not live up to our expectations at all. I chose this tour because I have read all the books about Walt and Disney and expected some information that is not available in books. Though some of the info given was "new," most of it was not. He also disappointed the entire group by taking us all up a back stairway to the Disney Gallery to take us into the apartment that was being built about the time Walt died. Turns out the apartment was locked and there was a sign saying it was closed. The tour lasted about 2 hours, 15 minutes, and about 4-5 people bailed out half way through. I might do this again, but definitely not with Vincent.
We spent the rest of the day getting pressed pennies and shopping. We managed to get most of our Christmas shopping done, and got all of our Christmas cards from the Christmas store in New Orleans Square.
We headed to ESPN Zone for a late lunch and to get our free $10 game cards. They said it would be a 10-20 minute wait (which we thought was strange for 3:45 p.m.). They gave us a pager, in exchange for a driver's license or credit card (which I thought was strange), and we went upstairs to get our game cards, each with 40 credits. Most of the games we played were 8 credits, the Nascar race (8 credits each person), jet ski (8 credits each), and air hockey (8 credits per game). It seemed to be taking a long time for them to page us, so we went to check. We waited a couple minutes longer and were finally seated. Though our waitress was excellent, I didn't care for the service from everyone else. There were some guys who I assume were managers, wearing long sleeve shirts and ties, and all they did was look around, but didn't bother to check on anyone themselves. The food was okay. We both got a Zone Burger ($9.79) which was a HUGE burger with choice of cheese (American, Swiss, Cheddar, Mozarrella) and choice of side (this day was either cucumber salad or baked beans). It also came with lots of seasoned fries. On the burger was sauteed mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers. The burger was dry, but it helped to have the veggies on it. The cucumber salad was excellent, with tomatoes, basil, red onions, and mozarella cheese in a light dressing. We each had a soda ($2.39). Though the whole experience was okay, I don't know if I'd return. Total without tip, $26.19.
We hopped on the monorail and did more shopping at DL. We then went back to World of Disney and made a list of things to buy before leaving tomorrow. This turned out to be a good system. After this, we walked around the nooks and crannies of the hotel and took some pictures. We found out there's a fireplace OUTSIDE the hotel, right outside guest services on one side, and the Hearthstone Lounge on the other. We went back to the room so I could watch "Friends."
We went downstairs to the Storyteller's Cafe for a light dinner, or at least it was supposed to be light! Our server was great, Tim. We each had an iced tea ($2.25). I ordered the Corn Chowder ($5.75) which was excellent!!! The hotel tour guide said they were known for it, so I ordered it based on that recommendation. It had smoked ham, turkey, corn and potatoes, with a hint of cilantro. I also ordered the Farmer's Market Field Greens ($7.25) with baby mixed greens, sliced pear, pecans, and blue cheese in a vinaigarette, which was also excellent. (I could have stopped after the chowder, but had already ordered the salad, which I enjoyed anyway!) Aaron ordered the ribs whic he really liked ($19.95). It had about 6 pieces of ribs, fries, and green beans with red pepper and artichoke. The bread was great too, 2 typs. One like a cornbread muffin, and a loaf of white bread which was excellent, crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. Total without tip, $41.34. Definitely recommend!!! This restaurant also has a lot of detail in it, making it even more interesting.
We explored the hotel some more, mostly the pool area (only accessible with resort room key), then went back to the room to watch ER and turn in for the night.
