2-2, cont.
We took a bus from Pop to Magic Kingdom.
After going security (during which we had to be very assertive with some people who were trying to skip an entire line of people waiting to go through metal detectors
) we walked the path to the Contemporary.
We went upstairs to the California Grill check in desk, but we weren't JUST eating at California Grill, we were attending Celebration at the Top! We checked in and were given sparkly orange bracelets to indicate we were part of the special event. The host told us they had just started bringing people upstairs for the event, and a CM welcomed us and another couple onto the elevator.
Once we got upstairs, a CM escorted us to the Napa and Sonoma rooms for our event. The first thing we saw was a table with a whole bunch of sparkling wine glasses and another CM immediately offered us each a glass. He also showed us the seating areas we could choose from. The Napa room had the bar and more tables, and the Sonoma room had the food and a few tables. We picked the Napa room, not JUST because it was housing the bar, but also because of the view! Our CM suggested a table by the window and of course we went with his suggestion!
View from our table!
As soon as we sat down the bartender, Majid, came to our table and greeted us. He asked if we'd like something to drink in addition to the sparkling wine, and I decided on a Cabernet while M picked a beer. He brought our drinks to our table and we didn't even have to go to the bar!
After we received our beverages we took a trip to the Sonoma Room for food. There was a sushi station and a station with flatbreads, salads, and various other small items.
We started with sushi:
This veggie roll was quite good!
SPARKLY
From the other station:
Tomato flatbread, tomato and goat cheese tart, and (in the box) sesame noodle salad
This salad was suuuuuuper tasty and actually had a little spice to it!
While we were getting our second round of food we asked a server, Khalid, which items were vegetarian, just to be sure. He showed us the four choices (which was more than enough) and said he would also ask the chef to make us something special!
Meanwhile, Majid kept the drinks coming! It seemed like EVERYONE at the event was getting this pink cocktail with rum, and M wanted one, so I volunteered to go to the bar and order one for her. I also asked to try a different wine. Majid said he would make the drinks and bring them to our table so I didn't have to keep standing at the bar!
While we were waiting for our drinks, Khalid came back in with THIS:
FOUR GIANT BOWLS OF
MORE FOOD
We couldn't believe how much food he brought us! I recognized these as items from the Vegetarian Tasting Menu from the "regular" California Grill. Everything was seriously SO, SO good. If I had known they were going to feed us SO MUCH I wouldn't have scheduled Biergarten on the same day as this!
All through the night Majid kept coming by to refill drinks or take new orders. I really ended up liking the Merlot (second red wine) I had. It had intense dessert-y aromas of caramel, coffee, and vanilla, but didn't taste sweet at all. I wish I had noted what winery it was from!
Near fireworks time, most guests starting heading outside either onto the main CG viewing area or the private party viewing area.
M and I, however, were really enjoying being inside in the air conditioning. We asked Majid if they turned off the lights inside, and he said yes, so we decided to stay in and enjoy sitting at our table. Everyone else in the entire room went outside, so M and I had a private viewing! As we waited for HEA to start we had a really nice conversation with Majid about working for Disney. He was born in Morocco and has worked in Disney restaurants for over twenty years and loves it! And it turns out, our other favorite CM of the night, Khalid, is his brother!
Soon Happily Ever After began!
We loved Happily Ever After, of course! We have still only seen it from outside the park, so I guess some time we need to see it from INSIDE the park. But having a private table with a drink in hand sure is a nice way to watch!
After the fireworks everyone came back inside for dessert. The CMs had changed the food room into the dessert room and Majid offered us coffee. We happily accepted, and he asked if we wanted Bailey's...and what do you think we said?
These desserts were super delicious but of course we could only eat about half a bite of each! And the coffee was very good as well!
As I'm sure you can tell we had a FANTASTIC time at Celebration at the Top! The food was excellent, the drinks were flowing, and the service was top notch! It's a pricey event ($135 per person including tax and gratuity), so it's certainly not something I would do every time, but I would definitely consider doing it again for a special occasion. The biggest value is obviously in the alcohol, so if you don't drink I would not advise booking this. It had an open bar so we could have had as much liquor as we wanted, but we mostly stuck with beer and wine to avoid getting
too crazy.
After finishing our coffee and what we could of dessert, we took the elevator back downstairs and called a Lyft to pick us up and take us back to Pop.
We arrived back "home" and got ready for bed after a fantastic night!
Up next: Day 3! Where (almost) nothing goes as planned!
But we really had a great view.
