MikeR & SuzyB's Courtship, Planning Journal, Wedding, and Disneymoon

[MikeR]

Mike and Suzy were a little unsure if they wanted to do another Character Meal, but the reservations had already been made so the two departed for the Princess Storybook Breakfast at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in World Showcase.

They were greeted at the door by Belle who was kind enough to formally dress up for the occasion, thereby making Mike and Suzy look like the slobs they are:

Once inside the décor proved to be up to the usual Disney standard:

Mike had never had Norwegian food before so he was curious to give it a try. There was an appetizer bar before the main meal that provided many dishes, but nothing that Mike had never tried before, although the cheeses were very tasty:

Suzy got a pretty standard meat and potatoes dish;

While Mike asked the waiter for the most “Norwegian” item on the menu and got a Traditional Kjottkaker which has cauliflower, garlic, cheese infused mashed potato, and a beet sauce. Mike is not in love with Norwegian food and will probably not have it again, but he is glad that he got to give it a try;

The couple also received yet another complimentary desert tray. Disney obviously has some fiendish plot to try and get the couple to be too big to fit on the airplane home, thereby forcing them to stay in the parks forever;

In between stuffing their faces with meats and vegetables cooked by a people who think fermented trout is the height of culinary excellence, various Princess came by and introduced themselves to Mike and Suzy. They were all very nice and complimentary to the Honeymooners and congratulated the duo profusely. Here is Suzy with Ariel:

Mike with Aurora;

Pocahontas was showing off her goods . . . by which the author means her necklace . . . no . . . no, he doesn’t;

And here is Mike trying to strike an Aladdin-like pose with Jasmine;

 

[PrincessBride010103]

Isn't it weird to go to character meals with no kids?? lol
Everytime we did one on our honeymoon it always got akward with the characters..now we can't wait til our little one arrives so we can bring him and he can have all the character attention

 

[MikeR]

Once outside the couple took a look around the pavilion and enjoyed the illusion of being in a Norwegian town;

They hopped aboard the Norwegian ride which was scary when you are 9, but is just goofy at 29;

In the obligatory gift-shop the couple mulled over buying a troll or getting a new roof for the same price. . . buying a troll or getting a new roof . . . hmm . . . decisions, decisions:

Suzy also contemplated the advantages in switching to a career in the lucrative field of viking;

Thanks to the wonderful world of Disney geography, China is just a hop a skip and a pirouette from Norway;

;

The China pavilion has a most interesting tree. Does anyone know what type of tree this is?

Here is a picture of Mulan by herself because apparently she was too good to demean herself by standing next to the commoners;

Mike had seen the Terra-cotta stone soldiers at a museum before, but the exhibit on them was still fascinating;

Mike would like to get this Chinese saying over his desk at work;

While waiting for the Circle Vision movie on China to start, there was a brief performance of a classical Chinese instrument. It was very soothing and a nice break from the hectic zoom zoom zoom of the vacation. Does anyone know what this instrument is called?

The movie about China was really well done, perhaps the best movie Mike and Suzy saw at Disney World. In a 360 degree theatre, the audience is shown a panoramic view of the glories of China. It really captures the thousands of years of history and culture that China has had as well as its vast natural world from the deserts to jungle to plains. So of course after watching such a powerful movie Mike and Suzy put on silly hats;

Mike and Suzy went to see the 2:15 ritual human sacrifice at the Aztec pyramid in the Mexico pavilion, because Disney is always historically accurate, but for some reason the show never began;

They consoled themselves by taking a picture in front of lake;

 

[MikeR]

Having enough of World Showcase, the couple headed to future! Their first stop was Test Track, where guests explore the strange new world that will come about when horseless carriages become cheap enough that a workingman can buy one for only three years worth of wages! The Test Track ride was . . . a bit disappointing. Mike and Suzy have both been driving for over a decade now, and they have both driven in some extreme circumstances and nothing that Test Track did was actually more exciting than what they have done in real life;

As consolation Disney apologized and invited the couple to enjoy looking at funky plants;

Next up was Mission Space - an interactive centrifuge ride. Mike had never been on this before and knew nothing about it, so it was a treat to go into a ride almost completely ignorant of what it would entail. The G-forces are a hoot, and just strong enough that they are fun and not sickening (although Mike and Suzy were a bit dizzy for a while afterwards). Mike was tempted to purposely fail his part of the interaction to see what would happen, but in the end he pushed the button at the right time and saved the mission. Yay for Mike:

The couple also caught a showing of The Circle of Life. Now, Suzy is a chemical engineer so this show kind of ticked her off with its anti-civilization theme. It makes a point about how horrible making trash is, but how much garbage does Disney World produce in just one day? Sure they may recycle as much as they can, but we’re still talking about landfills after landfills worth of trash. The film is just a rather smug and sanctimonious flick about how bad the modern world is, more or less, and it just feels out of place at Disney World which, when you get down to, is pretty much a celebration of consumerism;

Wanting to cleanse their pallet, Mike and Suzy caught the new Imagination ride. Mike didn’t think it was as good as the old one, and he is 10% sure that is not the result of nostalgia. The whole time the ride was going on he was humming the South Park “Imagination” song to himself;

As punishment for that a blowfish tried to eat his brain to cleanse any reference of South Park from the pristine Disney environment;

The day was growing long, so the couple leisurely headed for the next event that Mike had planned, a couple’s massage at the Spa & Health Club at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Once they arrived at the Grand Floridian, they had a bit of a trouble finding it, but when they did it was great. Mike and Suzy were having a fabulous time on their honeymoon, but it could be rather hectic and busy at times. The massage was a great change of pace. It was also probably about four or five times as expensive as a similar massage would be at home, but they didn’t need a relaxing massage when they were home, they needed one on their honeymoon so that is when they got it. Mike thought that the couples massage would be, you know, a massage together . . . as a couple, but such was not the case. They were both put in different rooms and really didn’t interact any during the massage, so the couples part was really just a marketing ploy, but it was still a great and relaxing break;

Freshly invigorated, Mike and Suzy got back to their room and laid down. Don’t they look oh so very sleepy?;

 

[kramer222]

You know, the cowboy in the blue pants from Hoop-Dee-Doo is from Portland, Oregon! At least he was in March '07. He looks like the same cowboy in blue pants...

 

[MikeR]

You know, the cowboy in the blue pants from Hoop-Dee-Doo is from Portland, Oregon! At least he was in March '07. He looks like the same cowboy in blue pants...

Really? We are from Portland Oregon too!

 

[MikeR]

The next day Mike and Suzy went to the Magic Kingdom for the “Keys to the Kingdom” tour – a long backstage tour on just how the Magic Kingdom operates. As Suzy is an engineer, Mike thought she might find it interesting. Here she is waiting for the guided tour to start:

After the standard sit-around-and-wait-and-people-watch-while-other-people-are-people-watching-you, the tour group congealed like Jell-O in a luke warm fridge and a dozen or so tourists headed down Main Street, listening to a guide explain how the magic came about i.e., how Disney removes its garbage without any guests seeing it (pneumatic tubes);

The guide was . . . not that good to tell the truth. In theory a backstage tour of the Magic Kingdom could be a lot of fun, but it really depends on who your guide is. To make it interesting you need a guide who is lively, can tell interesting stories in an entertaining manner, and can shepherd crowds like a border collie. Mike and Suzy’s guy just wasn’t up to snuff. He pointed out some interesting things, like the meaning behind the names on the shop windows;

But he didn’t have a very exciting or lively personality, and that really makes or breaks these things. There were some fun parts of the tour, such as when they went backstage and got to see the actors preparing to go out and perform “Woodies Round-Up.” They really have to work out and stretch because it’s a rather physically demanding job;

After taking a backstage tour through the Jungle Cruise, Mike and Suzy, as part of their “Keys to the Kingdom Tour” got a “free” lunch at the Harbor House;

The sandwich was, and everyone say this with me, just a sandwich. Like any you could get in a million other places. Mike and Suzy split it because they wanted to have an empty stomach for their big meal that night;

Suzy also got a salad which was shockingly, just a salad;

The food was so-so, and at this point Mike and Suzy decided to just give up on the tour. It wasn’t worth there time, so they made some polite excuse to the tour guide, and wrote the whole thing off as a bust;

Looking for things to do, the duo decided to check out the Enchanted Tiki-Tiki-Tiki Room, where the bird sing songs and the flowers croon. Neither Mike nor Suzy have adult memories of the original Tiki Room, so they can’t comment on the changes, but it was a quick entrance and an amusing few minutes of fun;

Afterwards the couple was _tired_. They had been zooming all over the place for a solid week at this point, and did not get a good nights rest the night before. So when they hopped on the boat ride that they thought was going to take them to Tom Sawyer Island but instead just floated them around the park in a very lazy manner, Suzy fell asleep for a bit;

After she woke up, Mike took her to that most exciting of all Disney rides, the Hall of Presidents;

Back in the day, the line for the Hall of Presidents used to be as long as Space Mountain is today, but Mike and Suzy just walked in. Despite the dated animatronics it is still a hoot for a history buff to see those fellows get up and talk;

 

[MikeR]

Continuing the trend of nonstop, don't-wanna-miss action blowout fun Mike and Suzy went to the Swiss Family Robinson Tree house;

When Mike was a kid he used to wish that he was shipwrecked. Now as an adult he wishes he was shipwrecked . . . on an island with a nice hotel and good wi-fi;

When Mike was a young tike he went with his friend Zach to Disneyland. They were having a Sword in he Stone celebration and were asking for volunteers to try and remove the sword. Mike, trying to be a good boy, oh-so-patiently and politely raised his hand and kept quite. Zach on the other hand, jumped up and down and yelled, “Pick me! Pick me!” They picked Zach and Zach got to be “King of Disneyland” for the day. Seriously. The dude got his photo taken and everything and kept it in his room like a shrine for a decade. Not that Mike is bitter. So, when Mike saw the sword just sticking out, he had to give it a try to see if he could be King of Disney World

Ugh. It’s a tough sword;

Almost there;

So close . . . ;

One more yank:

Ah, forget it. That sword is not going anywhere. Mike decided to try something a little less intense, like going to Pooh’s House. Mike wasn’t really that into Pooh until he was a teacher in Japan for a few years. Pooh is HUGE in Japan, and his students fondness for the little bear rubbed off on Mike:

There was some very yummy honey to eat there too;

Since they visited Pooh’s house, it was only fair to check out Mickey’s House. It wasn’t as cool as Pooh’s Corner, because lets face it, Mickey just isn’t as interesting a character as Pooh. But one fun moment came when Mike and Suzy spotted some books in the far corner, but couldn’t read what the title was. Mike then used his new digital camera to take a picture, then zoomed in on that picture to read what the title was. Their grandkids will probably ask why they didn’t just use a holographic data collector, but for now Mike and Suzy still get a kick out of our clunky 2008 tech;

Speaking of clunky tech, it is doubtful that we will every romanticize our current technology like the way we have that of the steam age. Mike and Suzy caught the train back to the exit from the park and it was just as crowded as ever. There is just something that kids love about trains;

Even if those trains do prohibit people from doing any crazy dancing;

Mike and Suzy then went to a workout. Yes, really. They try to get regular workouts at home, and even though they had done a lot of walking, they had yet to really break a sweat on the trip so they used the spa at The Grand Floridian to get in a quick workout before dinner, all the better to spur their appetites;

Afterwards they showered and putt on their fancy clothes;

Because it was time for one of the highlights of their vacation, dinner with wine pairing at the Chef’s table at Victoria and Albert’s!;

 

[mla1977]

Yay! Another update. Too bad you didn't have a more exciting guide. I'm stubborn and probably would have stuck it out because I paid my money for it.

 

[MikeR]

Yay! Another update. Too bad you didn't have a more exciting guide. I'm stubborn and probably would have stuck it out because I paid my money for it.

On one hand we did pay for it, but on the other hand we paid a lot more just to go on our honeymoon, so we really didn't want to spend any time doing something that wasn't fun for us unless we had to.

 

[DisneyDenise513]

I would love to hear the rest of your story.

More please!!

 

[sungela]

Me too! This was one of my all-time favorite TRs.

 

[MikeR]

Way back in the Honeymoon phase Mike did extensive research on what the happy couple would be doing in Disney World and in his reading he came across a little dive restaurant called Victoria and Albert’s. There was the regular V&A experience which merely required calling a mere three months ahead of time to get a reservation, or there was the insanely expensive Chef’s Table which could best be reserved by having signed letters of recommendations from the President, the Pope, and two of the top five Primordial Forces of the Universe. Without those one would have to do what Mike did, get your patootie up at 3:53 in the damn morning and push a zillion buttons to try and be the first caller of the day so that one could get the 1 (one) spot they had for that day.

The first day Mike tried this he didn’t get it.

The second day Mike tried to do this he still didn’t get it, although he got better at the button pushing.

Third day, ditto.

Fourth day, same.

Fifth day, same and he was getting really cranky at having to wake up so early. That night he said to Suzy that he wasn’t sure if he should continue trying or not, and maybe they could do something else. Suzy said that if Mike didn’t at least continue to _try_ he’d regret it. Maybe not that day, and maybe not the next, but come the vacation he’d wish he had tried one more day to get the reservation.

So Mike got his *** up one more time, and he got the reservation! Ah victory . . . thy name is reservation!

Now, Mike had long since ditched MickeyD’s as a choice of sustenance, and has been slowly developing a more complex and refined (I.E. expensive) pallet over the last two or three years, but he had never gone to a meal as extravagant as Victoria and Albert’s Chef’s Table with Wine paring..

As soon as you walk through the entrance to Victoria and Albert’s, you know you are in a classy joint. Another way you know that you are in a classy joint is that if you refer to it as “a classy joint” while there, then people will look at you as if you were something they scrapped off of their shoe;

The main chef was not in that day, so Mike and Suzy were shown around by the assistant chef. He was a nice guy and did a great job at explaining all the dishes and making the dining experience even more special;

First up was the bread and butter of the meal, literally;

The bread had the perfect mix of crunchy outer layer and soft inside while the butter was so rich and creamy that you wanted to go out personally thank the cow that produced it;

The first course was a selection of Amuse Bouche, Smoked Duck Under the Glass, Celery Breleee and Parsley Root, Deviled Quail Egg with Tsar Nicolai Caviar, with a wine paring of Heisieck Monopole ‘Blue Top” Brut Champagne NV;

Looking back on that dish the memory of how it tasted can best be brought forth by chanting nom-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom!

It was also pretty interesting to what the cooks making all the meals for ourselves and the other patrons. No on seemed to have any talented rats underneath their hats though;

 

[mla1977]

Doh! Where's the rest?

 

[MikeR]

Let us talk about wine for a bit;

One can buy a bottle of Two-Buck-Chuck and chug it out of an old jam jar while munching on a bugger from Fuddruckers and that is a “wine paring” only in the same sense that a chicken is a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

What Victoria and Albert’s does with matching wine with food is difficult to describe, which makes the job of describing it rather difficult (funny that). Each course is well-thought out and perfectly harmonized with a wine that compliments the dish while not overpowering it.

And really, what more could one want from a wine? Other than to get a good buzz going down, another thing which these wines excelled at by the way.

The dishes, like the Chorizo Crusted Gulf Shrimp with Garbanzo Beans, Albequina Olives and Banyuls Vinaigrette with wine paring of Cantina Del Taburno Falanghina, Campania 2005, are all fondly remembered in the abstract from this gastronomical vacation from a vacation;

Yet describing a meal that one had four months ago is rather difficult. Does the memory of taste really last in the same way that the memory of sight or sound does? Can you really recall a great meal in the same way you recall a great game you played in or a great concert you heard? Is it just that we are trained to remember our other senses more than taste, or is it some biological factor? If someone says that they had Monterey Abalone with toasted capers and mey lemon Alaskan stablefish with petite French lentils, winter corn and saffron foam with wine paring of Frank Family Vineyards Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2005;

Does that draw forth memories in the same way that describing a lone beach at midnight on a summer night in which a solitary owl can be heard hooting in the distance? And how many questions can a foodie post pose anyways?

But while the questions may stop coming the courses at V&A never seemed to. The waiters expertly delivered dish after dish to the happy couple;

Who ate them all with relish. A multi-course meal is very different from more traditional meals. The food arrives in a slow steady stream rather than in a giant log. This allows you more time to savor and enjoy the experience and talk between courses. Much like the exact taste of the food (other than “it was good”) the specifics of the conversation also remain out of reach, yet fondly remembered.

Both the Ballotine of Pulet Rouge with Chicken Consomme, Scottish Chanterelles and black truffles with wine paring of Pere Fils Christian Moreau Chablis 2004.

and the Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin and Belly with Banana Squash Ragout, 100 Year Balsamic with wine paring of Carol Shelton Rocky Reserve Zinfandel, Dry Crekk Valley 2004

made the mouth experience flavors that fail at being adequately being put into words.

Now the next dish may be a little controversial as it was Pan Roasted Foie Gras with Fuji Apples and Mostarda did Cremona with Royal Tokaji Azsu 5 Puttonyos, Mad Tokaj-Hegyalja 2003.

Now Mike had heard horror stories about how Foie Gras is made, but before he went to his honeymoon he actually saw a documentary on how the ducks are fed, and how the composition of their necks makes it so that it is not as uncomfortable for them to be fed in that manner as one might suppose.

And Foie Gras tastes sooooooooooooooo good. So very very good.

The tasting of the Japanese Wagyu Strip Loin and Australian “Kobe” Tenderloin with Oxtail Jus with wine paring of Beaulie Vineyard Tapestry Reserve, Napa 2004 went very well and the beef just melted in their mouths;

Mike had some small worry that the various meats would not mix well in the stomach, but this proved not to be a problem.

The Fourme D’Ambert Cheese and Fondue, 4 Year Aged Gouda and St. Marcellin was fantastically rich and succulent;

Suzy started to get a little chilly so she began bundling up before the chilly desert courses;

Which consisted of Wild Strawberry Sorbet, Mango-Yogurt Panna Cotta and Miniature Banana Gateau with wine paring of Paolo Saracco Moscato D’Asti, Piedmont 2006.

As well as the Tanzanian Chocolate Pyramid, Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Soufflé and Peruvian Chocolate Ice Cream and Puff Pastry

Which was followed by the exciting act of the “Celebes” Coffee brewing, a type of brewing the Suzy had never seen before and as an engineer she had lots of questions to ask about it;

For Mike it was enough that it produced a cup of coffee, and that was all he needed to know. He was not and is not a big coffee fan, but he drank most of his cup for the experience of it, and also because he could probably have used a caffeine jolt by then;

The two did drink a fair amount that night;

But Mike still had time to play with his camera settings;

As the night wore to a close the happy couple was presented with chocolate candy treats and a polite invitation to vacate the premises as they and one waiter were the only ones left, all other cooks and patrons having departed;

As Mike left the facilities he happened to notice a tray of booze just sitting in the hallway and also noticed the curious fact that no one else around. But he most certainly did not get a nightcap from it of Pearl Brandy before leaving. Because that would have been wrong;

Total cost for the nights dinner? A lot. The tip alone was more than Mike has often spent for a nice dinner and lets just leave it at that. Weeks later Mike would talk about the dinner with his Dad and not only was it the most expensive dinner Mike had ever had, but it was also more expensive than any dinner his Dad had had, and his Dad is not a poor man.

But was it worth it? On the whole, yes, in that it was their honeymoon and it was nice to get all dressed up for a grand and memorable dinner, but they are unlikely to do anything like that again for a long time.

And of course it can be considered all worth it when Suzy thanked Mike for the lovely dinner;

The happy couple took the monorail home;

Said goodnight to their blanket-animal pal, and went to sleep because they had another busy day tomorrow;

 

[mla1977]

Why do I read these things right before lunch? Now I'm starving!

 

[snow_white725]

z

 

[snow_white725]

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[snow_white725]

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[IndyBride]

I just found you trip report/pj and am loving it! It sounds like you had a wonderful time on your honeymoon.