Trip Report The GRAND Birthday! *COMPLETED*

“Hey, Ma ~ you’re about to celebrate a BIG birthday. What are you going to do next?”
“I’m going to Disney World!”

If it were only as simple as it sounds in the commercial. But we all know that real life rarely aligns with what is portrayed on TV....or for that matter (dare I say?) social media. My mother was hitting a milestone on 2/1/2019 and I wanted to take her to her favorite vacation destination to celebrate. (The fact that it also happens to be mine was a bonus!) However when I presented the idea to her back in the fall, she was reluctant to accept my offer.

Ten years ago our extended family went to WDW to celebrate her last big birthday. During that trip, paramedics were called because my infant nephew was experiencing breathing difficulties; my sister-in-law got either food poisoning or a bad case of stomach flu which necessitated a doctor coming to her resort room (and an extended stay); and my dear Woody came down with similar symptoms which resulted in an ambulance ride to the ER on the night we arrived home.

Needless to say that was the end of our extended family vacations.

I had to clarify with Mom that I wasn’t planning a big gathering. Still, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go. My father was recovering from some recent health challenges and she was uncertain she’d feel comfortable leaving him. She asked for some time to think it over.

Meanwhile I jumped on some cheap airfare and booked the hotel, figuring it was worth the risk. Just before Thanksgiving, with my dad’s blessing, Mom decided she would like to go.

“Where will we stay?” she asked.
“It’s a big event. Where do you think we should stay?” I answered.
Mom paused and without waiting for her reply I continued: “It’s going to be a grand celebration, so we must stay at the Grand Floridian!”
Mom choked up and said, “I never thought I’d ever be able to stay there.”

Well now she has! And we had a wonderful time at the resort and in the parks. There was even a surprise or two.

As for this:

That's the interesting thing -- something new, fun, or outright bizarre happens on all your trips, and that's what keeps us coming back for more. It's kinda like a written version (with photos), of a Tuvalu WDW reality show. Looking forward to the next installment in the series.

Stay tuned for the bizarre!

I wish this trip could have been mother/daughter/granddaughter. Sadly, Em was unable to join us.

Who: Tuvalu and Mom
When: January 29 - February 2, 2019
Where: Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa (the “and Spa” gets me every time!)

 

[Longers]

This year's challenge should be how many different people you can ride BTMMR with, hopefully one ride will be with @Longers .

I really hope so

 

[sheriffwoody]

Being stuck that long right at the exit sounds like torture!! At least you had good company

 

[Tuvalu]

If you didn't get on Soarin' because the Land stopped, that would stink!

Sweet they wanted to give you an extra fp! Were you able to use it?

Well @slipperalwaysfits we made it in time for our Soarin’ FP.

However we had to sit over on the far left, making all the landmarks curvy. JB didn’t seem to mind as he “oohed” and “wowed” throughout the film.

If we’d had more time we would have used our bonus FP for a second ride, but we were already running late for our dinner ADR.....way out in World Showcase.

I grabbed this shot of the upside-down falls as we raced on by.

 

[StitchSNK]

I am loving your trip report! Looks like a fantastic birthday trip!

 

[Tuvalu]

Being stuck that long right at the exit sounds like torture!! At least you had good company

It was torture!
And “good company” is a relative (haha) term.....I had to listen to the mocking of “aren’t you glad you made us ride?” from my seat mates.

I am loving your trip report! Looks like a fantastic birthday trip!

Thanks for reading!

 

[fractal]

That pizza does look good!

Cool surprise by JB!

 

[Tuvalu]

Long ago and far away our dinner destination was a staple in our vacations. It’s original name was Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki Dining; it is now known as Teppan Edo.

My parents discovered hibachi-style dining after I’d left home and became fast converts. Every visit to Epcot included “eating in Japan.” My first experience was in August 1991 while on a trip with Mom, my brother and my boys. My kids loved watching the chef and gobbled down their food....until my oldest complained, “there’s something in my rice.”

That “something” turned out to be his first lost tooth!

They loved their drink umbrellas!

A memory was made and requests for repeat visits followed. I - someone who hates mustard - became addicted to the mustard sauce. And the ginger dressing on the salad? Yum-o! The boys learned they liked shrimp (neither Woody nor I eat seafood) and ordering steak here did not break the budget....prices were very reasonable for our family of 5.

But sweet Em was never a fan of Teppanyaki so we began to broaden our horizons to other World Showcase cuisine and our regular visits ceased. But Mom’s didn’t.

I was looking forward to eating here again as I hadn’t been to Teppan Edo in several years. Would it be worth the wait?

 

[Spash007]

I was looking forward to eating here again as I hadn’t been to Teppan Edo in several years. Would it be worth the wait?

Your cliffhanger has me. We've considered Teppan Edo because I feel like it would give us a good variety. However, it's been too tempting to think of it as Benihana and nothing too special anymore. So I'm looking forward to your review!

 

[Rista1313]

Long ago and far away our dinner destination was a staple in our vacations. It’s original name was Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki Dining; it is now known as Teppan Edo.

View attachment 354526

View attachment 354524

My parents discovered hibachi-style dining after I’d left home and became fast converts. Every visit to Epcot included “eating in Japan.” My first experience was in August 1991 while on a trip with Mom, my brother and my boys. My kids loved watching the chef and gobbled down their food....until my oldest complained, “there’s something in my rice.”

That “something” turned out to be his first lost tooth!

View attachment 354525
They loved their drink umbrellas!

A memory was made and requests for repeat visits followed. I - someone who hates mustard - became addicted to the mustard sauce. And the ginger dressing on the salad? Yum-o! The boys learned they liked shrimp (neither Woody nor I eat seafood) and ordering steak here did not break the budget....prices were very reasonable for our family of 5.

But sweet Em was never a fan of Teppanyaki so we began to broaden our horizons to other World Showcase cuisine and our regular visits ceased. But Mom’s didn’t.

I was looking forward to eating here again as I hadn’t been to Teppan Edo in several years. Would it be worth the wait?

I'm curious... Hubby and I have been to hibachi many times, but have steered away from hibachi style dining in recent years because we feel we are watching the same show over and over. But I've never had noodles.. always fried rice... and since we are winging it... this could be somewhere to wing to if the review is good, and the ADRs are available.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

This is getting good!

 

[Tuvalu]

The hostess promptly led us to our table after we checked in. At one end of the table was a dad, mom, and two young children. At the other end was a middle aged couple. The three remaining seats belonged to us.

Mom immediately instructed, “Let JB sit on the edge so he can have more leg room.”

“I don’t need leg room, I need stomach room!” JB chortled in response.

We made friends with the couple on the end nearest us and learned they got married the same year as JB and myself. With 4 marriages represented, we had combined total of 165 years of wedded bliss ~ remarkable!

I had just begun to peruse the menu when our server appeared to take our drink order. There was a frozen slushy drink called an Ichigo (a blend of strawberry, pineapple and guava juices) that I used to order all the time but didn’t see listed now.

“Can I still get an Ichigo?” I asked.

The server looked at me like I had three heads. I described it and she called over another server and after conversing in Japanese, the second server looked at me, nodded and said, “We can do that.”

I resumed looking over the menu and pined for those 1990s prices.

Now I can’t say for certain that was my fault, but I am willing to take the blame for the LONG delay in our server’s return to bring drinks to our table. Maybe it actually took 25 minutes for the bartender to make an Ichigo? But why was everyone else at our table (especially the little kids) penalized? Also ~ she hadn’t even taken our FOOD ORDER yet!

She set the family’s drinks down first and when she got to me I just stared at the glass.

Am I mistaken or is that not a Pina Colava? A drink which is raspberry purée mixed into a piña colada? Ichigo, by name, means strawberry! And the Ichigo I remember was not a cream-based drink. My quizzical expression caught the server’s eye. “It’s not right?”

I shook my head but decided to just drink it anyway, to spare myself (and everyone else) the pain of getting it corrected.

She took our food order and disappeared....again. A couple minutes later the second server returned to our table to inquire about my drink. “You don’t like it?” she asked.

“It’s not supposed to have raspberry, but it’s ok,” I replied.

Sometime in between receiving our salads (no “yum-o” ginger dressing) and JB’s edamame (which was good), server #2 plopped this down in front of me.

“No charge!” she smiled.

Still not an Ichigo....but I’ll never turn down a Piña Colada!

Our chef finally arrived to start the show.

He was personable and had fun creating the onion volcano.

But the noodle and veggie mix was bland. And my beloved mustard sauce had been replaced by a mayo-based “Yum Yum Sauce” (chef’s term) served in conjunction with ginger sauce. Ginger sauce does not pair well with steak, and the steak by itself did not have much flavor.

My meal was a disappointment. Mom and JB didn’t comment positively or negatively about their food. What we all commented on was How. Much. Time. dinner was taking. (I felt so sorry for the family we were sitting with but their kids were patient angels.) We wanted to see Illuminations. It would be Mom’s last opportunity. With no server in sight and five minutes until showtime, we knew we were doomed.

Then another surprise. Our server brought Mom a slice of cake and a birthday hat!

Just then we heard the first BOOM!
Illuminations had begun.

 

[93boomer]

The hostess promptly led us to our table after we checked in. At one end of the table was a dad, mom, and two young children. At the other end was a middle aged couple. The three remaining seats belonged to us.

Mom immediately instructed, “Let JB sit on the edge so he can have more leg room.”

“I don’t need leg room, I need stomach room!” JB chortled in response.

View attachment 354540

We made friends with the couple on the end nearest us and learned they got married the same year as JB and myself. With 4 marriages represented, we had combined total of 165 years of wedded bliss ~ remarkable!

I had just begun to peruse the menu when our server appeared to take our drink order. There was a frozen slushy drink called an Ichigo (a blend of strawberry, pineapple and guava juices) that I used to order all the time but didn’t see listed now.

“Can I still get an Ichigo?” I asked.

The server looked at me like I had three heads. I described it and she called over another server and after conversing in Japanese, the second server looked at me, nodded and said, “We can do that.”

I resumed looking over the menu and pined for those 1990s prices.
View attachment 354534

Now I can’t say for certain that was my fault, but I am willing to take the blame for the LONG delay in our server’s return to bring drinks to our table. Maybe it actually took 25 minutes for the bartender to make an Ichigo? But why was everyone else at our table (especially the little kids) penalized? Also ~ she hadn’t even taken our FOOD ORDER yet!

She set the family’s drinks down first and when she got to me I just stared at the glass.

View attachment 354535

Am I mistaken or is that not a Pina Colava? A drink which is raspberry purée mixed into a pina colada? Ichigo, by name, means strawberry! And the Ichigo I remember was not a cream-based drink. My quizzical expression caught the server’s eye. “It’s not right?”

I shook my head but decided to just drink it anyway, to spare myself (and everyone else) the pain of getting it corrected.

She took our food order and disappeared....again. A couple minutes later the second server returned to our table to inquire about my drink. “You don’t like it?” she asked.

“It’s not supposed to have raspberry, but it’s ok,” I replied.

Sometime in between receiving our salads (no “yum-o” ginger dressing) and JB’s edamame (which was good), server #2 plopped this down in front of me.

“No charge!” she smiled.
View attachment 354536
Still not an Ichigo....but I’ll never turn down a Pina Colada!

Our chef finally arrived to start the show.
View attachment 354537

He was personable and had fun creating the onion volcano.

View attachment 354538

But the noodle and veggie mix was bland. And my beloved mustard sauce had been replaced by a mayo-based
depressed “Yum Yum Sauce” (chef’s term) served in conjunction with ginger sauce. Ginger sauce does not pair well with steak, and the steak by itself did not have much flavor.

View attachment 354539

My meal was a disappointment. Mom and JB didn’t comment positively or negatively about their food. What we all commented on was How. Much. Time. dinner was taking. (I felt so sorry for the family we were sitting with but their kids were patient angels.) We wanted to see Illuminations. It would be Mom’s last opportunity. With no server in sight and five minutes until showtime, we knew we were doomed.

Then another surprise. Our server brought Mom a slice of cake and a birthday hat!

View attachment 354541

View attachment 354542

Just then we heard the first BOOM!
Illuminations had begun.

Oh that’s disappointing! I was hoping the food was as good as your last visit. And no yummy mustard sauce-boo! Yep no turning down piña colada!

 

[Tuvalu]

Your cliffhanger has me. We've considered Teppan Edo because I feel like it would give us a good variety. However, it's been too tempting to think of it as Benihana and nothing too special anymore. So I'm looking forward to your review!

I'm curious... Hubby and I have been to hibachi many times, but have steered away from hibachi style dining in recent years because we feel we are watching the same show over and over. But I've never had noodles.. always fried rice... and since we are winging it... this could be somewhere to wing to if the review is good, and the ADRs are available.

Save your $$ friends!

Oh that’s disappointing! I was hoping the food was as good as your last visit.

So was I. And the service was worse than Mama Melrose!

 

[93boomer]

Save your $$ friends!


So was I. ☹ And the service was worse than Mama Melrose!

Oh that’s bad!

 

[amjt660]

In Japan the meals are different than North America
It is not always fast paced and the food does not come out all together for the table

I know this is not relevant at Epcot but the timing of your meal is similar to some of my experiences in that country

It usually gives you more time for drinking

Max

 

[Tuvalu]

In Japan the meals are different than North America
It is not always fast paced and the food does not come out all together for the table

I know this is not relevant at Epcot but the timing of your meal is similar to some of my experiences in that country

It usually gives you more time for drinking

Max

Epcot Japan was never a “quick” meal but it also never took as long as it did that night! But thanks for sharing your real-life experience. I wonder if @bee noticed that during her Japan adventure?

 

[Tuvalu]

Mom ate a few bites of her cake and then JB encouraged her and I to go outside and watch Illuminations. He said he’d take care of the check.

We weren’t sure how much we’d be able to see from the deck outside the restaurant but wanted to stay there so JB would be able to find us. The boring part of the show with the globe projections was just ending. Would we have a good fireworks view?

Yeah, baby!

Finale

JB came out just as the fireworks started so he was able to see the splendor. He was impressed! And Mom and I enjoyed the elevated view. It was a great end to the evening!

We strolled towards Future World with the large, exiting crowd. Along the way I received a text. I excused myself from Mom and JB for a few minutes.

It was time to meet the recipient(s) of the first “I Found Tuvalu at Walt Disney World” cards.

 

[krause]

 

[Tuvalu]

Tucked in a booth in the middle of La Hacienda was my buddy @Tony the Tigger.

He and his hubby Brian each got one of these:

This was our 3rd encounter together in the World. We first met by accident in September 2016 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I’m not sure how much Tony remembers....he’d spent a bit of time that day in the Tune-In Lounge (or was it the Brown Derby Lounge?)

(And....I was with my dad. )

Our second meeting was for drinks (of course!) at Mardi Grogs at POFQ last April.

Tony and Brian are great guys and I wished we’d had more time tonight than a hug and hello. But we’ll meet again.....Disney is the place where wishes come true, right?!

 

[Tony the Tigger]