Monthly Archives: March 2015

Disney Springs’ Chapel Hats

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RM-Raglan-Road-Irish-DancersConstruction walls may still be up all around, but excitement is in the air as Downtown Disney’s transformation into Disney Springs is well underway.  New stores are springing up while old favorites continue to thrive.  We recently spent a very enjoyable evening in Downtown Disney/Disney Springs and there’s a new shop I’ve just got to tell you about!

After a leisurely dinner at one of our most favorite dining locations in the World, Raglan Road, we decided to take our time walking back to the bus stop.  Okay, that’s a lie.  We RM-Chapel-Hats-Storehad to walk slowly on account of being inordinately stuffed from the appetizer, salad, entrées, and desserts we’d just consumed.  My only excuse for overindulgence is that watching those famous Irish Dancers burn off all those calories makes me hungry.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  Anyway, we were strolling along and noticed a new shop had opened that we both wanted to explore!

I know, right?  What are the chances that Raymond and I both wanted to shop in the very same store when it’s not full of Disney merchandise?  It just so happens that we are both wild about hats!  The new Chapel Hat store was irresistible.  We waddled on inside and stayed for quite a visit.

Simple and well-stocked, Chapel hats is easy to shop – it’s like a gigantic closet of hats!RM-Chapel-Hats-Shelves3Shelves and shelves stacked high with just about any and every style imaginable.  Men’s hats on the left and women’s on the right with the checkout counter in the middle, Chapel Hats is a lid-lover’s dream come true.RM-Chapel-Hats-Shelves2 RM-Chapel-Hats-ShelvesCharmed by the variety of hats ranging in style from whimsical to utilitarian, we made use of the shop’s many mirrors…and had a ball!  RM-Chapel-Hats-Tophat RM-Chapel-Hats-Silhouette RM-Chapel-Hats-Fedora RM-Chapel-Hats-Fancy

What started out as a fun diversion soon became a serious quest for the perfect hat for each of us.  We enjoyed picking out different styles for each other to try.RM-Chapel-Hats-Cabbie RM-Chapel-Hats-Ladies'-HatsWe took turns modeling different types and colors, narrowing our selection down to the two or three we liked the best then helping each other decide on the ONE.  No matter what kind of chapeau you prefer, Chapel Hats has a topper for you!  After about 30 minutes of fun, we purchased our selections.  Shopping bag in hand, we made our way to the buses and on to the Magic Kingdom for Wishes and the Main Street Electrical Parade.  A perfect souvenir for a truly magical day, our new hats will be a happy reminder of a great Disney vacation for years to come.

Are you much of a hat wearer?  Be sure to check out Chapel Hats on your next visit to Downtown Disney/Disney Springs!  Chapel Hats on the web.

Polynesian Village Resort – Kona Cafe

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RM-Kona-MenuI’d heard great things about the Kona Café at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.  I was excited to book our first visit there for the night of our arrival for the Princess Half Marathon Weekend.  Next door to the wildly popular ‘Ohana, I’d been told that Kona’s Pan-Asian menu and service were both excellent and we would have a new favorite restaurant to add to our list.

The food was good.  The service, once we were seated, was also good.  What happened to us upon arrival at the Kona Café might keep us from going back.  “Fair and Balanced” is my motto when writing reviews (unless otherwise noted) and I’m going to strive to keep this one to that standard.

We were excited to visit the Polynesian since we’d only seen the updated lobby in pictures.  After reading wildly varying reactions to the Great Ceremonial House’s new look, we were pleasantly surprised by how colorful, open, and welcoming the atmosphere was in the newly renovated space.  Yes, I’ll admit the new water feature is rather compact, but our overall first impression was overwhelmingly positive.RM-Polynesian-Lobby2

We got there early on purpose so we could look around before enjoying a glass of wine at the Tambu Lounge.  Mission accomplished, we checked in at Kona Cafe’s front desk 10-15 minutes before our official ADR (Advance Dining Reservation) time.  Buzzer in hand, we stood a few feet away – careful not to stray too far since the hostess had indicated we would be seated immediately.  This is where things went awry.

At first I didn’t notice what was happening because I was taking pictures of the beautiful lobby from above.  Raymond had been paying attention, though, and after quite a while had passed made mention of the dozens (no exaggeration) of people who had walked up to Kona Café and been seated while we were waiting for our buzzer to go off.  They were probably late for their reservations while we’d been early, but I’d go to the desk and check on our status – honestly, we were starving and had been waiting a long time.  Plus, we had been told we’d be seated right away.

RM-Kona-EntranceA first for us at Walt Disney World – we had a buzzer/pager thing, had checked in for our reservation, and were now nowhere in the computer system at Kona Café.  Clearly we’d been checked in, I pointed out, as I had a buzzer.  “You remember checking us in, right?”, I asked the young lady.  She did remember us, we did have a buzzer…she needed to consult with someone for assistance.  Still, at this point, we were not angry (just hungry).  That’s when the situation deteriorated to “un-magical” status.  The check-in girl confessed that somehow we had not been “arrived” in the system, so we’d “disappeared”, but she was working on getting us seated right away.  Still we waited.  Three or four minutes later, a hostess came and showed us to our seats.  I indicated we’d like to speak to a manager (another first for us at Walt Disney World).  Unless you speak up when something goes wrong, nothing can be done to correct the problem.

While any and all of what had happened up until this point was certainly annoying, we still weren’t angry, but what the manager did next, soured our first dining experience at Kona Café. RM-Kona-Wings She didn’t seem to care one bit.  Dismissive, insincere, and clearly believing we were somehow out to get something for nothing, she quickly informed us of two things:  Computer problems happen and she’d do some research to make sure our situation didn’t happen to anyone else.  Then she dropped a plate of “free” wings on our table and we never saw her again.  In theory she did everything right, but she did it with a bad attitude.  What was needed:  A sincere apology, explanation about what happened and genuine concern over keeping it from happening again in the future.  Better than a plate of wings, she could have been nice and perhaps convey some realization or concern about how the unnecessarily long wait we experienced would negatively impact our impression of the restaurant she manages.

RM-Kona-Sushi-MenuOur server, Brenda, was very friendly and efficient.  She was happy to help us with menu choices and kept our orders arriving at a good pace.  The bread and butter was delicious!  We love sushi and, upon Brenda’s recommendation, chose the Lava Roll (“Togarashi-spiced Tempura Shrimp, Bay Scallops, spicy Mayo, and Chives”) as an appetizer and were very happy with our choice.

For entrees, Raymond ordered the Grilled Kona Coffee-Rubbed Pork Chop (“Curry-roasted Butternut Squash and Fennel with creamy Mashed Potato”) and I opted for the Pan-Asian Noodles with Shrimp (“Yakisoba Noodles, Wok-seared with Vegetables in a Ginger-Garlic Sauce”).  A bottle of Newton Claret was our wine choice for this meal.  We ended up being too full for dessert.

Once at our table, dining at Kona Café was everything we’d hoped it would be.  Entrees RM-Kona-Porkchoprange in price from $20 to $33 and include seafood, pork, beef, chicken, and vegetarian options.  The flavors and preparation of the dishes we ordered were great!  Will we eat there again?  At this point I’m not sure.  There are many other restaurants to be explored.  We also have a half-dozen favorites where we know we’ll get consistently delicious food and great service.  Also, I’ll be honest, with regard to bad service, Raymond tents to have a particularly long memory.  The next time we RM-Kona-Noodleseat at the Polynesian, we’ll probably be back at ‘Ohana.

Have you tried Kona Café?  What meal did you have there?  What was your experience like?

Making the Most of One More Disney Day

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RM-Magic-Kingdom-SelfieWhen we think back about the happiest days of our lives, we surely remember wedding days, holidays, graduation days, days when we welcomed children or grandchildren into the world.  These happy, joy-filled days usually have something in common – we know they’re coming!  We plan, we work, we save money, we cook special meals – we prepare for these momentous occasions and then hold them, near and dear to our hearts, for the rest of our lives. Once in a while, though, life hands us a day unexpectedly.  A day so special for the simple, happy hours afforded by the hands of fate, that we recognize it as the gift that it is and squeeze every moment of joy we can from one, unplanned, but nonetheless perfect day.  This is the story of one such day.

It did NOT start like any other day.  It was going to be kind of a sad day.  The alarm was set to go off at 7:00 am, we were going to pack our bags, board the Magical Express, and say goodbye to a fabulous, but tiring, long (Princess Half Marathon) weekend at Disney World.  But that’s not what happened.  The phone rang at 5:00 am.  Words cannot really describe how confused and disoriented we were when the call came in that our flight home had be cancelled due to winter weather.  We’d woken up the past four mornings between 3:00 and 4:00 am and we were uncommonly worn out – it took quite a few minutes to process the news and what we might need to do about it.  What I’m trying to say is, we had no idea in the early hours of Monday, February 20th, 2015 that we were about to have one of the happiest, most fun days of our lives.RM-BLT-Dawn-on-Bay-Lake

First things first – We had to call the airline and see what could be arranged to get us home.  In fairly short order and a couple of phone calls later, we were set for a do-over the next day.  Then we realized we’d need a place to stay for the night and a re-scheduled ride to the airport.  We decided our best option was to visit one of Bay Lake Tower’s lobby counters to accomplish these tasks.  We showered, dressed, re-donned our Magic Bands and hit the elevators.  20 minutes later, Nick at the DVC counter had us set for the day and night!  We would, miraculously, be able to keep our same room – we used our DVC points to pay for another night.  We asked and Nick found us a dinner reservation at Raglan Road in Downtown Disney.  We were set!  Being annual passholders, we then bid Nick goodbye and headed out the door for the half-mile walk to the Magic Kingdom – it was 9:30 am.RM-Nick-BLT-DVC

As we were walking, I used the My Disney Experience app on my phone to check for available FastPasses and was pleasantly surprised that I could get Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, and Space Mountain fairly close together.  That’s when it hit me.  We had not a care in the world and the unexpected gift of one more Disney day before us.  It was early, the weather was perfect, and I was with my most favorite person in the world.  I suddenly realized – this was going to be amazing! With a spring in our steps and a song in our hearts, we stepped through those archways and onto Main Street U.S.A.

It’s hard to put into words exactly what emotions we experienced over the next 12 hours.  We were lighthearted, footloose and fancy free!  We did so many things yet felt as though we were taking our time and appreciating every moment.  The World was our oyster and around every corner, we discovered a pearl!

We took our time strolling up Main Street.RM-Main-Street-Horse-and-Castle

And joined the 999 ghosts in Haunted Mansion.RM-Haunted-Mansion-Shrinking-Room-PortraitThen dropped in at Grizzly Hall for a show.RM-Country-Bear-Stage2Met a sweet girl when we stopped for lunch in Columbia Harbor House.RM-Columbia-Harbor-House-CMThen we cruised waterways around the world on the Jungle Cruise with one of the best Skippers EVER!RM-Jungle-Cruise-SkipperSafely back on land we took our time enjoying the sights and sounds of Adventureland.RM-Adventureland-ShieldThe new sunglass store was doing a brisk business on such a sunny day!RM-Adventureland-Sunglass-StoreThen we got an early peek at the hub refurbishments…RM-Magic-Kingdom-New-Hub-FeaturesBefore perusing the Magic Kingdom’s Main Street shops.RM-Main-Street-ShoppingBack outside, we were treated to a song by the extraordinarily talented Dapper Dans!RM-Dapper-DansWe stopped to enjoy the beautiful warm sunny day.RM-BalloonsMoving on to Tomorrowland, we made a new friend.RM-Stitch-Meet-and-GreetAnd decided we needed a little early afternoon rest and relaxation on the PeopleMover.RM-PeopleMover-CruisingNext we opted for a little Classic Disney…RM-Carousel-of-Progress-SelfieAnd sang along with every verse…”And it’s a great big beautiful tomorrow…..”RM-Carousel-of-Progress-DadOur FastPass for Space Mountain was ready and we took a quick tour around the galaxy.  RM-Space-Mountain-Sign

Re-energized, we decided to see who could score the highest in Buzz Lightyear’s epic battle. (It was not me!)RM-Buzz-Lightyear-Space-Ranger-Spin-InteriorBefore making friends with some Main Street Cast Members…RM-Main-Street-CMsWho were kind enough to recommend an excellent spot for parade viewing!RM-Festival-of-Fantasy-Maleficent-2015Then it was off to Downtown Disney for our dinner at Raglan Road…RM-Raglan-Road-BeerWhere we, in keeping with the day, had the best seats EVER!RM-Raglan-Road-DancersAnd we enjoyed the amazingly talented performers while we ate…RM-Raglan-Road-RibsFive delicious courses!  Bread and dipping sauce, appetizer (ribs), salad, entree, and dessert (oh, that bread pudding!).  Full to the brim (haha!) we decided to check out Downtown Disney’s new hat store, Chapel Hats!RM-Hat-Shopping-Downtown-Disney RM-Chapel-Hats RM-Chapel-Black-HatDozens of hats later, final selections wrapped and ready to go, we hopped the bus back to Magic Kingdom and located the perfect spot to sit curbside on Main Street and catch Wishes.RM-Wishes-2015AND the Main Street Electrical Parade!RM-Main-Street-Electrical-Parade-Dragon

Elated but exhausted, we slowly made our way back to Bay Lake Tower.  What a day we’d had!  We could go home the next morning with the very special memories to cherish of an incredible day full of our most favorite attractions, foods, and magical Disney touches!

Little did we know that the very next day we would, once again, get one MORE Disney day which we decided to spend in a different, but no less memorable way.  I’ll save that story for another post.

Have you ever had an unexpected extra Disney day?  What did YOU do with it?

My First runDisney Events – An Overview

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RM-RunDisney-RoadYou might remember this post from last summer where I shared the story of why I run.  I didn’t start running until I was in my 30’s, so if you’ve been toying with the idea of giving it a try, it’s never too late to find your inner athlete.  If you think you don’t have one, you’re wrong…he/she is in there somewhere and it’s just a matter of patience and commitment to locate him/her.  In fact, if you’re a Disney fan, perhaps what I’m about to share might be just the motivation you need to stop thinking and start doing.  I’m not saying everyone should run.  I’m saying that if you love Disney as much as I do, there’s no better place to participate in an athletic event that in Disney parks!

I’d explored the runDisney site thoroughly and even then I was still completely unprepared for the reality (the magnitude & magic) of a runDisney event.  My friends, family and coworkers might have thought I was crazy (many of them were very verbal about it) to enter three races over three days, but I was highly motivated by both the entrance fees (on the expensive side & I planned on getting my money’s worth) and wanting to enjoy myself by training enough to be comfortable for all three events.  I chose the Princess Half Marathon weekend because of its February date which worked well with my schedule.  I chose the Glass Slipper Challenge (the combination of both the Enchanted 10K on Saturday and the Princess Half Marathon on Sunday) because I’d run several half marathons and thought the challenge of the two races would be, well, challenging (in a good way).  Raymond pointed out that if I was going to do the 10K and the half and we’d be at Walt Disney World anyway, I might as well add Friday’s Frozen 5K and get another medal.  Sure, sounded reasonable to me, so I added that too.

Some things I had to do between registration and the actual events:RM-Donald-costume

  • Submit a proof of time for the half marathon or start in one of the last corrals.  I chose the only event near home that I could do by the December 1st deadline which ended up being a cold and rainy East Texas Half Marathon on my 50th birthday.
  • Figure out some sort of outfit or costume to wear for each race.  A tutu for me would be too-too much, so I was committed to dressing up in my own way and style.  I decided on a Donald Duck themed outfit for the 5K, a Minnie tribute for the 10K, and my favorite, an Evil Queen ensemble for the half marathon.  I picked up pieces for the outfits here and there over the months leading up to our trip.
  • Book Advance Dining Reservations for dinner (ADRs) bearing in mind that I’d be getting up incredibly early the morning of each race.  Sadly, I’d have to go to sleep between 8:00 and 9:00 each night or I’d be too tired to function.  Thursday:  Kona Café, Friday: Le Cellier, Saturday: Il Mulino (at the Swan).  Sunday we planned to celebrate with our last dinner of the trip at Yachtsman Steakhouse and it was fantastic, but turned out to NOT be our last dinner of this Disney visit.  More on that another day.
  • Plan park days with careful consideration about the amount of walking that would be required and select some attractions for relaxation rather than thrills.
  • Run a lot of miles.  That’s the downside (or upside depending on how you look at it) for choosing February races – a bunch of mileage had to happen throughout the holiday season.  It was hard to fit in all the time I needed, but the happy side effect was that I did not gain a single pound over Christmas.  I’m fortunate that Raymond loves to bicycle and was willing to go with me and ride while I ran my long runs every weekend in my favorite place to train, the Vicksburg National Military Park.RM-Disney's-Wide-World-of-Sports

I will do actual (shorter) posts on each race because they each had their own charm.  Today l want to share my overall impressions from my very first runDisney experiences:

I’m hooked!  I plan to be back again next year to do it again.  This was, without a doubt, the most fun I’ve ever had in any event anywhere.  From the volunteers to the medical and security teams, to the Cast Members, photographers, and characters – everyone was kind, caring, and professional.  I’ve never been congratulated so many times for crossing a finish line before.  The races are not just well-organized, they’re overflowing with magical Disney details far beyond anything I’d imagined.RM-Half-Corral-Walking

RunDisney events are designed to delight both first-time racers and long-time runners.  Also, these races are great for families.  There are also kids’ races held during the weekend.  Mothers and daughters, sisters, couples, groups of friends – there were a lot of people participating together and all of them were having a wonderful time.  It’s hard to get “swept” – there’s a very generous time limit so more people will be successful in finishing.  That’s the goal – simply finish and have a blast along the way!  There’s no pressure to be fast, in fact, runners are encouraged and enticed to stop many times along the way for a variety of unique and very special photo ops with a variety of characters – some of whom are rarely seen together.

Check back for more details about my adventures in the 2015 Frozen 5K, Enchanted 10K and Princess Half Marathon.

Are you a runDisney fan?  Do you want to be?