Departing to Disney

There will be no new Tuscaloosa updates for the duration of February 6th – February 12th. I have the good fortune of visiting Walt Disney World. My plans so far include an early Valentine dinner at The California Grill, atop the Contemporary Hotel, and tickets for the after hours Pirate and Princess Party.

Even though I am a frequent guest of the Disney World resorts, I have never used Disney’s advance dining reservations system. After thorough Internet research thanks to Mousesaver.com I found that I could make reservations 180 days in advance to any of the Disney World restaurants, using one phone number. My next task was to decide the perfect restaurant. This was surprisingly harder than I originally thought. Luckily, we are now living in the Internet age, and I could view comprehensive menus for every single food location at Disney World. I was delighted with all the research done by devoted Disney fans. This cut my travel preparation time in half. I chose The California Grill because of the food and beverage choices, romantic atmosphere, and most importantly, it is situated on the 15th floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort Hotel giving diners a perfect view of Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. When I called Disney’s Dining Reservation Department (407) WDW-DINE, my representative educated me that the fireworks at Magic Kingdom were occurring at 9:30 ,and that I should make my reservations for 9:40. She informed me that The California Grill dims the lights and plays music during the firework show, making it a wonderful place to have a romantic moment. Disney’s customer service never fails to amaze me. The Pirates and Princess Party is an after hours event at Magic Kingdom. Entertainment includes Disney’s Enchanted Adventures Parade, fireworks, special themed shows and a “search for treasure spots throughout all of the pirate coves and princess courts.” The most desired component about this $43 event is access to the park after closing hours and minimum wait time to ride the rides. To be completely honest, who wouldn’t want to run around Disney World until midnight playing pirates and princesses?

Since spring break for Tuscaloosa schools is right around the corner, and Disney is a very popular destination I will make sure to review any restaurants and food I encounter upon my return.