Monthly Archives: March 2015

Disney Dining – Hollywood Brown Derby Patio Lounge

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RM-Brown-Derby-PatioDid you know that the Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a patio lounge?  Indeed, you can eat indoors at the Derby and experience signature restaurant dining (2 table-service credits on the Disney Dining Plan) OR you can dine al fresco and save both time and money.  The patio lounge is a great place to enjoy happy hour!  And that’s just what Raymond and I did on our last visit to Walt Disney World.

On the day we visited the Brown Derby’s outdoor eating area, we were spending only the afternoon in the Studios and were looking forward to our dinner reservations that night at The Swan’s Il Mulino.  We were having fun!  Riding rides, taking pictures of the very last bits of the Sorcerer’s Hat left to be disassembled and getting hungry!  We needed a snack, but not just any snack.  We didn’t want to spoil our supper and had only a few minutes before the start time of our FastPass for Rock’n’ Roller Coaster.  We thought an adult beverage would also be a welcome treat at that particular time.  Hmmm…we were making our way from Star Tours toward Sunset Boulevard and I had a craving for wine and cheese.  HA!  I remembered the Brown Derby’s new-ish outdoor eating area (opened in October, 2013).  Perfect!  I told Raymond I had the perfect solution (with a look instead of words, ’cause that’s how we roll after 25 years of marriage) and off we went!RM-Brown-Derby-Outdoor-Seating

We didn’t have much time and the place was crowded.  We were willing to forego the food and just have a glass of wine if we couldn’t be seated within about 5 minutes.  There’s a walk-up bar at the end of the patio, so we ordered our wine and inquired about the chances of getting a snack.RM-Brown-Derby-Patio-WineTurns out, we were in luck – a table opened up, we were seated, and our server arrived promptly.  Once we explained our time limitation, he was totally onboard with getting us on our way as quickly as possible.

If you’ve read any of my previous dining reviews, you’ll have noticed that we are a family of cheese-loving people!  The artisanal cheese plate at the Brown Derby was calling our names – and we thought that would be just the right snack…not too much, not too little.RM-Brown-Derby-Patio-Artisanal-Cheese-PlateWe were very happy with ourselves when our cheeses (and accompaniments) arrived.  Hungrier than we’d originally thought, we fell upon that plate of cheesy goodness and made short work of nearly every crumb.RM-Brown-Derby-Patio-Empty-Plates

It’s a story with a happy ending – our experience at the Hollywood Brown Derby’s Patio Lounge was everything we’d hoped for and more!  Good wine, tasty cheeses, and excellent service, we were soon on our way to G-Force Records for our limo ride & backstage passes.  If you’re at the Studios and looking for a fantastic, relaxing place to enjoy a cocktail and snack, look no further than the Derby’s patio.

What other places at Walt Disney World are great for happy hour?

 

RunDisney Race Recap- 2015 Enchanted 10K

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Enchanted-10K-PinThe Princess Enchanted 10K on Saturday, February 21st was the first race of the two-part Glass Slipper Challenge.  I’d run the Frozen 5K the day before and would run Princess Half Marathon the next day.  The most challenging thing about the day of the 10K for me was getting out of bed at 3:15 am.  Confession time:  I am a 50-year-old woman attempting to run multiple races over a 3-day period – getting up at what (for me) was the middle of the night was actually the single most difficult part of the entire ordeal.  I’m not a girl who can go without her beauty sleep!

The morning of the race came all too soon.  My homage-to-Minnie outfit was ready to go and, like the previous morning, I ate my energy bar and banana, suited up, and made for the monorail from Bay Lake Tower to get to the race on time.  You can see how tired I am – look at my eye-bags!!!  RM-Enchanted-10K-Minnie-OutfitAgain, Raymond was left behind.  This time, though, instead of just waiting for me to come back, he was charged with booking all of our Disney Cruise excursions for our summer vacation.  February 21st happened to be the first day we could go online and choose our activities and we didn’t want to wait or risk missing out.  He may have had a few tense moments when the Disney Cruise Line website went down, but he managed to book everything we wanted (Good job, Honey!) long before I returned from the race.  If he’d thought for a second I would have benefitted from his presence along the race course or at the finish line, he would have done anything necessary to be there.  He and I both knew I would really need him to help me through the half marathon, so we agreed he’d save his in-person support for when I needed it the most. RM-Enchanted-10K-PreRace-Waiting-Area RM-Enchanted-10K-PreRace-Crowd

It was a full 10 degrees warmer than the day before (which made a huge difference)!  I love running in cool (40’s or 50’s) weather!  After my inaugural runDisney race on Friday, I felt a lot more confident finding my starting corral and lining up for the race.  I made my way to the designated holding area and felt more awake when it came time for me to line up in corral “B”.  Before I knew it, we were off!  This race will stand out in my memory for two reasons – the fun and beauty of the course combined with feeling incredibly comfortable the entire time.  I cannot recall enjoying a run more!RM-Enchanted-10K-Frozen-Characters

The first part of the 10K course took us out on the roads circling the Epcot parking lot – it was dark and I just followed the crowd.  The most magical part of the race at first was seeing Anna and Elsa up above the runners on an overpass – they spoke to us as we ran beneath them which was cool, but wasn’t nearly as remarkable as the fact that it was “snowing” on us!RM-Enchanted-10K-Frozen-Characters-Closeup

The second part of the race took us (like the Frozen 5K) through the World Showcase and then we went out the International Gateway to the Boardwalk area.  There were a few die-hard cheering guests that made me feel so special – and they were complete strangers!  I finally found Donald!RM-Enchanted-10K-Boardwalk-DonaldWe ran all around the Boardwalk and the Yacht and Beach Club area before going back through Epcot, back to the parking area to finish.  RM-Enchanted-10K-Mile-Marker-4 RM-Enchanted-10K-Sunrise RM-Enchanted-10K-Princess-MinnieI stopped and took a few pictures of the gorgeous sunrise, soaked up the atmosphere, saved my legs for the next day’s half marathon and had a wonderful time!

For those of us who care about results:

  • Women in the Enchanted 10K = 9753, I was #1455 with an official time of 1:06:16
  • Women in the 50-54 age group = 708, I was #82 (If I’d known how close I was to the top 10%, I believe I would have taken fewer pictures and stepped it up a bit!)

I had the most amazing time and felt wonderful.  I was really looking forward to the next day’s Princess Half Marathon and the second part of the Glass Slipper Challenge – please check back for the race recap on that event next week!

Are you a runner?  What’s the most fun race you’ve ever run?  Are you an aspiring runner?  What’s your dream event?

So Many Disney Food Pictures!

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Happy Weekend, Disney Fans!  This week’s Saturdays with Nick is all about FOOD!…Well, food pictures at least.  Like Nick and Barbie, I inexplicably take an enormous number of food pics when I’m on a Disney vacation!  How about you?  How many of your Disney trip pictures are of food or dining-related activities?

Follow Nick:   Disney Musings Blog / Disney Musings on Twitter / Disney Musings on Instagram / Disney Musings on Facebook

Don’t Play With Your Food. Photograph It!  So Many Disney Food Pictures!

I’m going through every photo from our Disney vacations, and I see a lot, I mean A LOT, of pictures of food.  I know I’m not the only person to take pictures of food, I used to write Trip Reports for the DVC fan sites I belong to, and now write restaurant reviews for this blog and photos are integral to these articles.  But I also take these photos because it helps me remember a good, great, or even bad, meal.

All these examples are from early October, 2009.

We take photos of where we are eating.

 Sanaa, Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village
 Wolfgang Puck Express, Downtown Disney

We take photos of what we are eating.

 Wolfgang Puck Express

Beaches and Cream, Yacht and Beach Club

Pictures of food being made.

Beaches and Cream

 Pictures of waiting for the food.

Beaches and Cream

The food being eaten.

  Beaches and Cream

A photo of food theft! Blatant food theft!

Wolfgang Puck Express

Before photos…

Beaches and Cream

…and after photos.

For more on the Banana Split at Beaches and Cream, please check out this post.

Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival at Walt Disney World is our favorite time to take pictures of food. We pose it as attractively as possible.

So, remember, Mom said don’t play with your food, but she didn’t say anything about photographing it!

Dear Disney Cast Member

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RM-Nick-BLT-DVCDisney Cast Members are one of the most important aspects of any Disney vacation!  In Disney stores, theme parks, resorts, restaurants, and on cruise ships, every individual employee makes a contribution to our overall vacation experience.  After 25 years of Disney vacations, here’s what I’d like them to know.

Dear Disney Cast Member:

We know your job is difficult.  Your employer expects you to be “on stage” when in the public eye and you deal with all kinds of people from all over the world.  At times there must be a tremendous amount of pressure.  The Disney brand of service is legendary and because of that, we’re expecting you to deliver.

We’ve watched you struggle and want you to know we’d help if we could.  We’ve seen people be rude to you.  We’ve seen the mean, angry, and overbearing guests that treat you poorly and hold you responsible for things beyond your RM-BOG-CMcontrol.  Being the face of the Disney Company does come with its challenges, but we want you to hang in there!  Please don’t let a few bad apples make you guarded or spoil your ability to be kind and sincere to the next group of guests to come along.

You make a bigger difference than you’ll ever know.  It’s common among us Disney fans to discuss how a Cast Member can make or break a vacation.  Simple things like a smile and eye contact, a little understanding, a happy conversation, sharing just a little pixie dust or Disney history – you never know when you, by the simplest action, remind guests that the Disney magic is alive and well.  When you’re less than magical?  We tend to notice more than when we’re outside the Disney Bubble.  Service recovery when something goes wrong may be the most difficult skill for you to master, but it’s vitally important to Disney guests who may have saved for years to afford a visit to your place of employment.

RM-Contemporary-CMWe love it when you do the unexpected!  Those spontaneous magical moments make the best memories!  Yes, we love it when we get great pictures of our little ones with characters, but there are so many other times when a Disney Cast Member made our vacation extra special!  Servers in restaurants, front desk attendants, employees in shops, bus drivers, boat captains, and even Cast Members pushing brooms – every one of you that goes beyond the expected to add a little extra fun and happiness…YOU are the reason we keep coming back!

We remember you long after our vacation is over.  Don’t underestimate the impact you have on our future plans.  We make restaurant reservations because the food AND service were excellent.  We look for you again and may even ask for you on our next Disney cruise.  You become intertwined in our memories of some of the happiest times our family has ever had and we’re counting on you to do it again every time we choose to visit.RM-Frontierland-CM

Thank you Disney Cast Members for all the magical moments through the years!  Our vacations certainly wouldn’t be as wonderful without you.

Note to readers:  If a Disney Cast member has made a difference to your vacation through good service, kindness, or a little extra pixie dust, please let the Disney Company know about it.  Those post-vacation surveys we receive by email are a great place to praise employees that were especially helpful or kind.  If, unfortunately, you had a bad experience, please let the Disney Company know that as well.  They really do count on guest feedback to continue to offer the service we expect.  Thank you.