Deb's Digest

Well, as you can see, I didn't quite finish the "live" updates from Walt Disney World. Things just got so hectic. Allow me now, to finish up the trip as best I can.....

4/20/07 Evening....

Dinner at California Grill was wonderful, as it always is for me. We were seating in the wine room in the back and had a great view of Epcot's Spaceship Earth as well as the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin. As I mentioned, I"ll be doing an article for the AllEars® newsletter on our California Grill experience.

4/21/07
Saturday morning we decided to have breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe. If you haven't been there yet, let's just say is a Wild and Crazy dining experience. Lots of whopping it up….. so be ready for noise, even early in the am! The kids all got to ride around on their stick ponies (even some "older" kids) and it was fun to watch. Our server was very into his role and sometimes he couldn't stop himself from laughing. Food was very good but huge quantities and most of us couldn't finish our breakfast!!

The four of us went over to Epcot to see the Flower and Garden Festival. It certainly had more "color" than I remembered from last year.

The Pirate ship at the entrance is just magnificent with Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, the gator and Pirate "Mr. Smee" Stitch!

We rode the new Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico. Certainly more colorful and lively that the former El Rio de Tiempo which definitely needed updating. If I didn't know the story line in advance, I would have been wondering exactly what it was. It wasn't clear to me until near the end that the Caballeros were looking for Donald. Be that as it may, it was cute and a strong "C-ticket" attraction.

There were gorgeous orchids along the path outside of Mexico and we spent a great deal of time admiring and taking photos of them.

At this point I left my friends and headed off to do some resort research at Saratoga Springs and Port Orleans French Quarter. My friends continued to enjoy the Festival.

Deb
Life -- IT too short!

Evening 4/21/2007

Tonight we dined at Jiko to celebrate our dear friends Tod and Sue's anniversary. Our dinner was simply amazing and highlighted by manager Jeremy who paired each of our courses with a special South African Wine. We actually never did have a "main course" per se... but did manage to have several courses of items from the Cooking Place and the appetizer list. Oh, and dessert.

In this photo, Jeremy is pouring the Chocolate Box red wine for Sue -- it was YUMMMY!!

Sunday, April 22, 2007
I hadn't spent much time in the World Showcase portion of Epcot so Linda and I headed there on Sunday. What a beautiful weather day... mostly blue skies, mild temps and a small breeze. We strolled from pavilion to pavilion enjoying all the beautiful flowers and topiaries.

Along the way, we had lunch at the Yakatori House in Japan. It was ok, nothing special, but decent. By mid afternoon we strolled back to the front of Epcot to try and get better photos of the entrance topiaries.

Back to Wilderness Lodge where we spent some time talking with the concierge staff. Lisa, Gerrianne, Jack and everyone was just super!

Sunday evening we dined at Il Mulino in the Swan, the new Italian place. Being such a huge fan of Palio (the former Italian restaurant), I had such high hopes. Alas, I found the place disappointing and way overpriced. Our dining companions, Steve Barrett (Mr. Hidden Mickey) and his lovely wife Vickie, made the evening very special.

Monday morning we were off to the airport at 6:30am for a flight home. A great trip with great memories!

Deb --
Life IT too short!

UPDATE INFO: 7/31/07
1) The Deluxe Dining plan still does NOT include gratuity. It DOES include the appetizer.
2) No word on DVC member pricing.

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There has been lots of internet chatter about changes coming to the 2008 Magic Your Way Dining plans. AllEars now hears the following is scheduled to be announced in August:

1) Automatic Gratuity will be removed from all 2008 packages that include dining. Tax will still be INCLUDED, but the gratuity will not.

2) The Magic Your Way Plus Dining Plan as we know it today will change for 2008. Gone will be the appetizer from the Table Service meal. The full service option will consist of entree, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage. The price goes down just $1 per person per day to $37.99 for those 10 and older. $9.99 for those 3-9.

3) 2008 will see the introduction of the Magic Your Way Plus DELUXE Dining Plan. This plan will include: 3 meals a day - your choice of table service or counter service; 2 snacks per day per person; a Resort Refillable Mug for each person on the reservation. Signature restaurants will still count as 2 Table Service meals, but now with the additional table service meals, dinner shows and signature restaurants may be more doable. Price will be $69.99 for those 10 and older and $19.99 for those 3-9.

4) The last major change will probably be the addition of a Magic Your Way Plus Wine package. For $39.99 per night you may order a bottle of wine at your Disney restaurant or from a location on property that sells wine (like resort stores). It can not be purchased separately and may only be an add-on to a Dining Package. There are still a lot of details to work out on this including if there will be a special wine list to order from or a dollar limit. Sounds like if you are at a Signature Restaurant that takes 2 Table Service credits, you will also be charged 2 Wine credits if on the add-on plan.

Again, this is UNofficial information. Look for Walt Disney World to officially announce the 2008 packages and dining options in August.