Eli took a 4 hour nap after the doctor, so that day was pretty much a waste. Luckily Joan and Jess were there and took Halle to eat and to walk on the beach.
Halle sleeping on the way to St. Pete:
Finally a day on the beach with a much happier Eli.
Equally gross and cool. A dead pelican.
Belly Bump approx 20 weeks.
We stayed on St. Pete beach for 2 nights, then to Disney World. We slept then headed out for fun! Look how cute they are!
Hidden Mickey at the Lights, Motors, Action show.
Our first day was at Hollywood Studios. Eli LOVED, and I mean LOVED the car stunt show. He insisted that they see it again. Halle was not thrilled, so we took her to see the Frozen show.
The next day was Epcot. They have an innoventions area where you create a roller coaster, then ride in a simulator on your roller coaster.
Character pictures. Jess didn't know how to zoom on our camera.
On the Test Track ride you create your own car, then on the ride they test your car to see how efficient, fast, etc. it is, and there’s an overall winner at the end of the ride. I can’t remember who won, but the kids loved building their cars, and loved it even more seeing their car on the screens throughout the ride, especially if they had won that segment.
We ate at a little place called Les Halles. It’s a French bakery and had delicious sandwiches and pastries.
Next up, Magic Kingdom.
Did you know there’s a Barber Shop on Main Street at Magic Kingdom? There’s a special baby’s first cut package, or just regular haircuts. They’ll give you pixie dust for free though.
Big Thunder!
This is the most complicated hidden Mickey EVER. It’s as you get off the Little Mermaid ride. It’s actually Steamboat Willie. Can you see it?
At the top middle you can easily see the ears, head, and nose. To the left is the steering wheel. Middle right is the right foot, bottom left of the giant rock is the left foot. There’s even the two buttons from his pants in the center.
The next day started with the Kilimanjaro Safaris at Animal Kingdom.
As we walked around the paths later, the vet came out and was feeding the meerkats. There were babies that were adorable and not frightened of him at all.
The gorillas. OH MY GOODNESS, this baby was adorable.
Another mama came over with her baby.
That night Jared and I ate at Victoria and Albert’s in the Queen Victoria room at the Grand Floridian. When I happened upon this reservation I had no idea how big of a deal it was until I started researching it. Only 4 couples eat in that room each night, and you get an 11 course dinner. It’s one of the VERY few AAA five diamond restaurants in the country. Most people say that if you want to eat here you need to be on your computer at midnight exactly 6 months in advance to attempt to get a reservation. You can eat in the main dining area and get 7 courses as a less expensive option. At the 11 course meal they create the menu for you based on your allergies, or limitations (for me pregnant, no unpasteurized cheese, raw fish, or uncooked alcohol). They give you your menu with your name on it too. The chef who has been there for something like 25 years comes out and talks to each table. We had two waiters, and it took about 4-5 hours. I think I went to the bathroom 3 times, and felt bad each time, because they would have to get my a new napkin every time. I know food pictures are all the rage right now, and I’m not generally the person to post such pictures, but when you eat at a place like this, it must be done.
First course, Alaska King Crab with Siberian Osetra Caviar. I was scared of this one; never had caviar. Apparently you have to eat it with this special spoon because metal spoons will change its flavor. It was surprisingly good!
Colorado Bison with Black Radish Slaw and Kumquats. Yum.
Hot “Smoked” Niman Ranch Lamb with Fuji Apple and Curry Dressing. Probably one of my favorites of the night. There were actually a lot of favorites.
Fennel Crusted Nantucket Scallops in a Salt Bowl. Also a favorite. That orange bowl is made of salt, and there’s salt and spices under the giant shell the scallops were served on.
Turbo fish caught off the coast of Portugal. This was something we paid extra for and shared. AMAZING.
Poached Chicken Egg with Corn Foam. Jared really liked this, I did not. It was a poached egg over bacon pieces and corn.
Veal with Mushrooms. This was my first time trying veal. I’ve never bought it because I always feel guilty eating a baby cow. Jared does NOT eat mushrooms, but actually really enjoyed this course.
Australian Kobe-Style Beef with Potato Turnip Gratin. On the left is the Australian Kobe-Style Beef. On the right is the real Kobe Beef that the chef imports from Japan, which apparently is very hard to do and establish a relationship with a supplier that will send it to the states. Australian Style means that a Kobe bull mates with a regular heifer. If you just had that, you’d think it’s the most tender steak ever. But then you eat the real stuff. Words cannot describe, but I’ll try. It melts in your mouth like butter. Literally. It spoils your desire for any other kind of steak. That sauce in between the two takes 4 days to make. But you can’t ruin your Kobe Beef by putting it in sauce, not even sauce that took forever to make. No way, Jose. We did pay extra for this, but I think it was only $50. And worth every penny. The waiter said in the main dining room it’s an extra $150.
Selection of cheese. The two that looked and sounded the best (first two on the left) were unpasteurized so I didn’t try them. The next two were just not my thing, and I love cheese. The last one is the “best” bleu cheese in the world. Pricey stuff apparently. I know I don’t like Bleu cheese, so I didn’t ask for any of that. The waiter said try that one last or else everything will taste like it. Jared tried a mouse sized nibble I thought he was going to throw up. He started stuffing every other cheese, and bread, and butter, and apple cider in his mouth. Ick.
Speaking of bread, they also serve three different breads with each main course. Those were also incredible. Who knew bread could be so amazing. They were also each served with a different butter. Te Grand Floridian has a pastry chef that makes the bread and creates all the pastries. Moving on.
Pear Quark Mousse. It was yummy, but really, nothing in this world ever compares to Kobe Beef. Ever.
Peruvian Chocolate Timbale with Roasted White Chocolate Gelato. This one had alcohol, so they wouldn’t serve it to me. Jared got this cool glitter sauce (alcoholic).
I got a chocolate soufflé that was just meh.
Finally they bring out this chocolate tray. And you look at the waiter and you say, I can’t fit anything else in my stomach. You can’t make me. So they give you one of everything in a special box to take home.
I think only 4 of them didn’t have alcohol, so I didn’t get many choices.
And to end the night, I glanced at my glass of Martinelli’s and saw a little hidden Mickey created by the bubbles.
This is a dinner I will always remember. And while it started out as a once in a lifetime thing, it’s something I think I’ll have to do every time we go to Disney World. The cost is out of this world crazy (and we don’t drink alcohol, which have cost another $150), but worth it. The experience was incredible. The food was amazing. Thanks to Jess and Joan for taking the kids for the evening so we could have this magical date.
Back to Magic Kingdom the next day.
And one last time on the day we flew out.
It was a great family trip pre-baby.
