A Gender Reveal Fit for a Prince!

During the 2015 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, we had BIG plans, not just to race, but to officially find out the gender of Baby S! When we knew we'd have the ultrasound just a few weeks prior, we instantly thought of Disneyland as the place we'd want to find out. Since our families both live in different states, it just made sense to have us all meet at the Happiest Place on Earth and celebrate.

We started with Disney Dining--We made our reservation for dinner at Carthay Circle for the night of the Half Marathon. We knew we wanted to be done racing and be able to stay out late and enjoy. When I called, I explained that we wanted to do our gender reveal for dessert and they were able to start the process right then and there.

In less than 24 hours, I was put in contact with a Disneyland Pastry Chef. From there, it was pure magic! She helped us in picking the size, design, flavors, and even sent pictures of images so we could decide what we wanted. A few emails back and forth and our cake was all set. Well, except for one small thing...we didn't know the gender.

That had to wait until we had our ultrasound. The tech sealed up an envelope for us, and it was sent directly to Disney. I had my fingers crossed it didn't get lost in the mail, and within a few days we had an email with a "congratulations" and confirmation that the results were received. I have to admit, it was a bit torturous to know that a tech and the Disneyland bakery knew if it was a boy or girl, and we had no idea. Those 3 weeks dragged on forever, and we were so preoccupied during race weekend, I could barely focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

Finally, we had our dinner at Carthay Circle. It was delish, as usual, but we were all ready for dessert from the moment we sat down!!! In fact, the cake had been delivered earlier in the day, so the whole staff was ready for us to have dessert too--they wanted to know if Baby S was Team Mickey or Team Minnie! The cake was beautiful, but definitely not too beautiful to cut into. A few pictures, and we were ready to cut. There was no mistaking, it's a boy! Team Mickey won!

I cannot thank Graciela, the Assistant Pastry Chef that handled this entire process, enough! She made our experience so special and completely stress-free. I could not have dreamed of a better way to make this very special announcement. I never doubt anything Disney does, but this truly blew me away in how perfect it all turned out!

Have you ever done a special event at Disney? How did yours turn out?

Tuesday Reviews-Day: Napa Rose

We found ourselves at the Disneyland Resort for our first wedding anniversary, and since we wanted to have one super special meal, we made reservations at Napa Rose (located inside the Grand Californian).  This is one of the nicest places you can dine at Disneyland, and definitely one to book to celebrate a special occasion.  We love food and wine, so this fit us perfectly!

This restaurant has many options, but we thought “When in Rome” and went right for the chef’s menu with the wine pairing.  This option gives you a five course meal with different wines for each course.  Nope, not cheap, but totally worth it!  You waiter will come out and get any allergies or special needs out of the way, but after that, you’re at the mercy of the chef—and what better way to taste what’s best on the menu?

Some of the courses were small (yes, I leaned in and told my hubby we'd need to stop for a burger), but after salad, appetizer, sorbet, main course, and dessert, plus wine, we were more than full.  It was so delicious!  There is a sommelier on staff, so if the pre-fixe menu is not your thing, they will be able to help you select the perfect wine for your meal.  And yes, it's a little fancy, so you'll probably want to stop and change out of your Mickey ears and Goofy shirt before going to dinner.  I think our bill was somewhere in the $300 range for the two of us--I told you it was pricey!  There is a full menu, though, so you can get out for less, especially if you don't add wine.  While I wouldn't classify this restaurant as "kid friendly", I saw plenty of families who were having a wonderful time.

 Have you ever dined at Napa Rose?  Or is it on your "must-do" list for you next trip to Disneyland? 

Tuesday Reviews-day: Blue Bayou

Continuing on with some of our favorites at the Disneyland Resort, we could not even think of continuing without highlighting the Blue Bayou, possibly the most popular of eateries in the whole resort.  First, if this is your first visit to the Land, this is a must-do!  Go make your reservations now!  Now that that's out of the way, let's give you an official review.

The Blue Bayou is located inside New Orleans Square in the Disneyland park, and the restaurant is part of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  Yep, you are part of the scenery as you eat your lunch or dinner while boats full of park-goers pass you by.  The menu is a limited prixfixe menu and varies from lunch to dinner.  Don't worry, everything is absolutely delicious, so you're sure to find something you'll love. 

One of the most popular dishes is the Monte Cristo sandwich.  Yes, it's huge and we don't even want to start to calculate the calories.  This delicious sandwich is made up of ham, turkey, swiss cheese, and french toast which all gets deep fried and topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.  Add on some blackberry preserves and it is pure heaven!  Seeing as this is a running blog, fair warning: some dishes such as the Monte Cristo are not the best option before running, nor are they great too soon after.  This would make a great celebratory dinner after your achievement that evening or even the day after.

Celebrating Bill's 30th at Blue Bayou

A few more notes: there is no alcohol served at this restaurant.  If you want a drink, you will have to visit other areas of the resort.  While not scary or creepy, this restaurant is very low-lit and may be frightening to children who are really scared of the dark.  Definitely make reservations--it's almost guaranteed that you won't get in during busy days without a prior reservation.  You can make reservations up to 60 days in advance either online or by phone.  Visit www.disneyland.com for details.  Finally, this is not the most economical of meals; expect to spend $30+ per person.  We would highly recommend the Blue Bayou for a date night, special occasion celebration, or as a way to celebrate a successful runDisney race weekend!

Tuesday Reviews-day: Alfresco Lounge

In an effort to get you ready for everything you might need for the upcoming 2014 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, we have adopted a Disneyland theme for our first "Tuesday Reviews-day" posts.  Happy running, and happy vacation planning!

First up for food, our review of the Alfresco Lounge in Disney California Adventure.  We've stopped by this quick service dining/drinking lounge a few times while visiting the parks.  The Alfresco Lounge is attached to the Wine Country Trattoria restaurant (located downstairs from the lounge) and they share a kitchen.  Well, where is this place?  When looking at the complex, you will see stairs leading up to a balcony overlooking Cars Land.

There are casual open-seating options: low "regular" tables, high-top tables, and couches/loungers surrounding fire-pits.  You cannot make reservations, however the wait usually isn't very long, if you even have to wait at all.  They have a fun drink menu, including many California wines.  The food menu is limited to appetizers and small bites, but they really are delicious.  This is the perfect stop if you've had a large, later lunch, but don't want to go the "fast food" route.  It's the ideal "quick service feel but table service" venue.  

We love to celebrate with a glass of wine or champagne, and would highly recommend the Alfresco Lounge for that!  Cheers!

Cheers!  We did it!

Aly's Top 10 Magical Memories at Disney

Sorry mom, it was just too good of a topic to leave just for you!  A few weeks ago, my mom blogged about her top 10 Disney memories.  If you missed it, check it out here.  Needless to say, it got me thinking about mine.  Some are similar, some totally different.  Here’s my trip down memory lane—my top 10 Disney memories.

10.  Food contests between me and my cousin.  Growing up, we traveled to WDW together pretty much every other summer.  My parents always wanted to eat at new restaurants, so they challenged us to eat as many different things as possible.  Alligator.  Yep.  Sweatbread.  That too.  Oh, and we were not at all encouraged to show any self-control!  Eat up!

9.  Eating at 50’s Prime Time Café for the first time.  Okay, I can’t really remember it that clearly, but I can say it made an impression.  To this day, and silly as it sounds, that is my favorite place to eat!  I can’t get enough of the s’mores or peanut butter and jelly milkshake.



Still a favorite!

8.  Tower of Terror memories—gotta put two here.  When ToT first opened in Disney World,  rode as a family.  It was the beginning of those pictures that they took on the rides, and when we got off, there was the most perfect picture of my dad, elbows out in front of everyone else, with a toothy grin, while all of us had a look of terror.  That image is etched in my brain, and we so regret not purchasing the picture!  About a decade later, I got to ride ToT with my (now) hubby for his first ride.  He didn’t know what to expect, but at that first drop, his hand grabbed my thigh in pure fear.  It was awesomely funny.  I will never let him live that down!

7.  Losing our backpack on the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland.  Nothing said these all have to be happy, exciting ones.  We loaded on the ride, and I thought my hubby had the backpack, he thought I did.  One sharp turn and it flew out the side of the ride—camera, medals, sunglasses…all included. Ugh!  We had to go back a few hours later when they shut down the ride to retrieve all the lost belongings.  They were so awesome in helping us, and even got us to jump the line to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad just to make our day a little better.  Disney definitely does customer service right!

6.  Having my 16^th birthday in Disney World.  Who needs one of those fancy parties?  I had a bulletin board at the entrance of the Grand Floridian and a card, balloons, and treats sent from Mickey.  I would guess my parents might have had something to do with that too…

5.  Getting sick at Disney World.  Yep, it was terrible.  We had planned a huge 10-day vacation --following my first Goofy Challenge.  Dining, park time, the works!  Well, the day after Goofy I started feeling ill and it went downhill FAST.  I ended up taking a taxi to the urgent care and on antibiotics.  No good meals; no fast rides.  By the end of the trip, it started to turn around, but let’s just say I will not be getting the Cobb salad at the Brown Derby anytime soon!

4.  Running, finishing, and getting a marathon PR during the inaugural Dopey Challenge.  I cannot tell you how much that race meant to me.  I doubted myself right up to the end, but when I crossed that finish line, I really believed I could do anything.  I would have been elated just to finish, but to crush my previous marathon PR…that was simply amazing!

3.  Dancing in the Magic Kingdom AND Epcot.  Growing up, my dance studio director was also a Disney lover.  The summer after my junior year in high school, we were invited to dance at the Magic Music Days and perform at BOTH parks (if you don’t know, that wasn’t done often; we were told we were the first).  This summer, the studio is getting to dance in Disneyland Paris—c’mon Miss Donna…don’t you need alumni chaperones? 

2.  Honeymooning in Disneyland Paris.  We started our honeymoon with a few days in Disneyland Paris.  It was really fun to see the similarities and differences.  We sprung for the most amazing suite with a balcony that overlooked the castle.  We even had our own private elevator to get to the park.

Officially married!

1.  Getting engaged in front of Cinderella Castle.  Yep, every little girl’s dream!  My hubby did an AMAZING job surprising me by dropping to one knee at that magical spot.  I was completely surprised.  A few cast members saw the whole thing and brought us a Mickey and Minnie wedding statue as a gift from the big cheese.  Every time we go back, we always visit “our spot” and have quite the collection of pics of our feet standing there!

Our little spot :)

What are your favorite Disney memories? 

Disney Dining Review: Dining with an Imagineer

One of the reasons we love running Disney is because of the many ways we can celebrate our achievements.  Many times that includes eating some fabulous food.  In 2013, we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to dine with an Imagineer during a special Disney dining experience: Dining with an Imagineer. 

First, it should be said that this is a very difficult reservation to get!  You need to be ready to make the reservation 180 days prior to your desired date.  I would also recommend having a back-up date. The reservation is limited to 10 people total.  We planned it as a celebration for the Monday of the 2013 WDW Marathon weekend and chose lunch at the Brown Derby. 

We arrived at the Brown Derby early and were given our official name-tags.  Once our entire party was there (3 small parties--it feels very exclusive!), we were escorted to a back room where we were given personalized menus.  The menu is limited for this experience, but you get all the signature Brown Derby options (including the Cobb Salad & Grapefruit Cake).  Soon after being seated, our Imagineer arrived. 

Part of the current project

It was a very casual meal, and our Imagineer told us all about his experiences working at Disney World.  He talked about projects, gave hints for some future projects, and answered all our Disney-Geek questions.  My favorite was his current project: the interactive queue for Thunder Mountain Railroad, which we were able to see a little of on that trip.  Since then, every time we visit that ride, we feel like true Disney insiders. 

At the end of the lunch, you are given a personally signed plate (ours have a top-shelf in the living room place in our home), a personalized menu, recipe cards for the classic Brown Derby dishes, and memories of an experience only a few will ever have. 

So, what's my final verdict?  First, I personally was getting very, very sick during this meal (it was followed the next day by a trip to the urgent card, antibiotics, fever, and my first "Disney sickness" experience, not at all related to this meal... just got really unlucky).  For that reason, I know I didn't enjoy this as much as I could have, so I'm dying to go back!  So... now to the real final verdict.  Would I do it again?  Absolutely!  Not every time, but I would guess that each time you go it's a different experience.  Would I recommend it to others?  Depends.  What?!?!?  "I thought you loved it" (I can hear your thoughts).  First, it's expensive.  That alone I know will be tough to some travelers, and I truly believe that you need to prioritize what you want to do to fit your budget.  Second, it's a long experience, so if you're there for a limited time or are concerned about getting to all the thrill coasters, this may not be at the top of your list.  Third, and probably most importantly, this is a true Disney Geek experience.  It is not for the casual Disney fan; I just think it would be lost on someone who is not somewhat obsessed with Disney and the intricacies that go into each and every part of the parks.  But then again... if you're not obsessed, you're probably not going to even know about this!  And with that thought... you're probably not even reading this blog, so for all of you, definitely put this on your Disney To-Do List before it goes away. 

A favorite Disney souvenir