We're all going on a Poly-holiday - October 2019: Day 8: You had me at unlimited mimosas

[bambikate]

Day 8: You had me at unlimited mimosas
Sunday 20 October 2019

Index

A lie in, brunch at California Grill, evening at Animal Kingdom, seeing Pandora at night, dinner at Satuli canteen, night blossoms to drink and Na’vi river journey

Being huge foodies we were so so excited for today’s plans - California Grill Brunch - we had read so many great reviews and watched loads of vlogs about it and the food and drink looked incredible. Well worth 2 credits in our opinion, particularly with the inclusion of unlimited mimosas (which, by the way ended up being unlimited Champagne)

We had a lazy morning in our room and obviously skipped breakfast to ensure we were hungry enough to try all the delicious food at California Grill for our 11am reservation.

We got dressed into something a little smarter than normal (there is a dress code for this restaurant which states “Men must wear khakis, slacks or dress shorts and collared shirts. Jeans may be worn if in good condition. Sport coats are optional. Women must wear Capri pants, skirts, dresses or dress shorts. Jeans may be worn if in good condition. Not permitted are tank tops, flip-flops, swimsuits, swimsuit cover-ups, hats for gentlemen, cut-offs, torn clothing and t-shirts with offensive language and/or graphics.”)

We walked over to the monorail and 3 stops later we were at the Contemporary - it really was so convenient having this on our doorstep - it saved so much time.

We walked down to the check in desk on the second floor and were taken round to the private lifts that take you all the way up to the 15th floor.



Upon entering, we were handed mimosas which consisted of passionfruit boba balls and champagne, the live band were playing Disney songs and there was already a luxurious and relaxed atmosphere, it was fantastic. We were introduced to our server and she offered the girls a non alcoholic sparkling apple juice (or anything else they would prefer) they fancied trying the apple juice so asked for this.

Our server explained how the brunch worked (it was unlimited mimosas and nonalcoholic beverages, all you care to enjoy buffet and you could also order from the menu).

There were optional upgrades such as the unlimited bloody Mary bar and an a la carte cocktail menu (as we were on the DDP we were also entitled to a cocktail each… which you will be seeing later… )



The girls’ sparkling apple drinks



Our server was offering to top us up so frequently, it was fantastic! We decided to have a browse at the food on offer.


Even the butter is pretty!





Pastries


Made to order bourbon baba, which was delicious (I shared it with the girls and Andy)



Delicious charcuterie selection







Devilled eggs



Salad bar



Sushi bar





Make your own parfait bar - the girls absolutely loved this! They chose fruit, yogurt and honey and I tried it too and it was really lovely.









And here’s our first plates - mine



Andy’s



Izzy’s and Immy’s first selection - they said they were saving room to be able to try more food!



From the menu we ordered (for the four of us to share) Flat iron steak and eggs - Two Eggs-Any Style - we chose poached, Carne Asada Relish, Mojo Onions, Garlic-Paprika Potatoes



We also tried the Shakshuka with Kale, Swiss Chard, Berbere-spiced Onions, Feta and House-made Pita Bread topped with a fried egg.



This was really good and unusual.

And the Bacon Breakfast Cheeseburger - House-made Brioche Bun, Sweet Pickles, Dijonnaise, Cider Onions, topped with a fried egg and served with Waffle Fries - yummy



A half portion of the Lobster Benedict - Soft-poached Egg, Half English Muffin, House-made Canadian Bacon, Classic Hollandaise with Butter-poached Main Lobster

I chose a half portion so I would have more room to try different foods!



Our included cocktails choices were the Blackberry Sour - Ketel One Citroen Vodka, House-made Lemonade, Blackberries



And for Andy, the Ancho Rancho Spicy Margarita - Patrón Anejo, Ancho Reyes Chili Liqueur, Fresh Lime Juice, Agave Nectar



After a couple of trips to the buffet, a good try of all the entrees we ordered and copious amounts of champagne (each top up was 100% champagne, no extra boba balls!) I’m sure they would have provided more if we asked but we were very happy to give them a miss

We were presented with this delightful looking dessert platter



It included chocolate bark, macarons, truffles, cinnamon swirl cookies and little cakes and sweets.



The band announced that they were happy to take requests, they had been playing Disney songs and pop songs - the girls chose a whole new world and under the sea, they were very obliging and played both - they were blimmin’ fantastic and them playing live music made the whole experience 100% better.





Feeling incredibly relaxed, happy and lucky we accepted another top up to go with our dessert. The girls and I were feeling bit full so decided to get a bit of fresh air on the observation deck

It was so sunny and humid and the views were beautiful. There was relaxing music being piped out of the speakers outside, which added to the overall vibe.

[bambikate]

There’s our home



And the Grand Floridian!



Us



The girls





More selfies



After somehow managing to eat the entire dessert platter between us we were officially DONE! What an incredible incredible experience we had at California Grill - exceptional food, service, atmosphere and entertainment. We would 100% go back and recommend it to anyone.

The only annoying thing was the fact Izzy was classed as an adult, which is priced to include the mimosas, which obviously she wouldn’t be having, which then made the tip a lot more expensive.

We went back in the lift and down to the lobby area and admired the Mary Blair mural



We did some shopping in the gift shops and ogled at the gorgeous Thomas Kinkade canvases on offer.

I’ll have one of each, please!



It was a pretty successful shopping trip and we bought quite a few souvenirs (which I will show in the final day of my TR when we unpacked everything at home.

We then thought it would be great fun to go back into the arcade and have another go at our faves - Teeter Totter Castle, Skee Ball and the chameleon game where you have to knock over the critters with the chameleons tongue!









It was only 5 points a go - an absolute bargain compared to the rest of the games!



Things did get pretty competitive, I’m not going to lie.



We hopped on the monorail and rode it back round to the Poly but there was no rest for the wicked! Did you really think we would NOT go into a park?

After a quick rest, freshen up and change we were back at the bus stop waiting for a bus to Animal Kingdom - we were planning on seeing Pandora at night and we had a fast pass booked for Na’vi River Journey and Everest and we absolutely couldn’t wait!





On the way in we spotted a Lion King photo op





In we go!



Tree of Life





Our first fast pass was for Everest - it was absolutely fab and so much fun.





The girls bumped into Terk and posed for a picture


We originally had a fast pass booked for Kilamanjaro Safaris but decided to change it to Kali River Rapids at the last minute. I had packed the ponchos from the day before and I’m not ashamed to say, I wore it for the entire ride looking like an idiot BUT a dry idiot…

Everyone got totally soaked. It was awesome!

I love these elephants!


And these fake candles!



We stayed and squirted the unsuspecting Kali Riders after us for a while then let someone else take over. It’s pretty fun doing this, don’t you think?

[bambikate]

Feeling a little thirsty, Andy and I ordered a Himalayan Explorer cocktail from Warung Outpost. It consisted of two different kinds of frozen slush margarita flavours - Strawberry and Mango, and toped with a generous amount of Blue Curacao. It certainly hit the spot. The girls stuck with water…



They stayed for a little play on the drums





It was now dinner time and we were finally getting hungry again. We decided to go to Satuli again and order basically the same as last time but this time one of them would have the rice as a side and the other the potato hash as a side.

We also used mobile ordering again as it had been so successful last time.











After another delicious meal at Satuli Canteen, it was now dark and Pandora was looking absolutely stunning.

Pongu Pongu at night



We wandered around taking it all in and snapping pictures - it’s such an incredible place



The fast pass window for Na’vi River Journey had arrived and we scanned our bands and got in line

It’s as brilliant as I remembered and a really pretty and relaxing experience. Some of the effects are so clever, too!









After the ride there was a performance on and they were playing the drums and getting the audience to join in - it was really good. We stopped and watched and listened or a while.



Pretty pod light



It was about time we had a Night Blossom so we went back to Pongu Pongu to get one for the girls to share and a Rum Blossom (Night blossom with rum) for Andy and I to try. The non-alcoholic one was a snack credit but the alcoholic one we had to pay OOP.

For those that haven’t tried this yet it’s layers of Apple and Desert Pear Limeade topped with Passion Fruit Boba Balls and it is delicious and so sweet and tart and refreshing. It's normally $5.99 if paying OOP or a snack credit if on the DDP. At the time we went it also included a free lotus flower light up glow cube, which I understand isn’t on any more but it may come back?!





I am happy, honestly…





I wish the camera could pick up how pretty the floor is in real life, with all the sounds of the creatures coming out of the speakers as you walk around, it really is so atmospheric.







After a relaxing explore around Pandora we decided to call it a night and head home for some pool time!

Movie under the stars was on



We had some Cheetos by the pool and watched the girls splashing, swimming and playing in the water whilst we chilled then ended the evening with some hot tub.

Andy holding his Cheeto like it's a cigarette for some reason...







An absolutely fantastic and relaxing day

[EllieP]

Fantastic day - so looking forward to seeing Pandora at night time x

[Flimsey]

California brunch looks amazing!

[Inky]

A brilliant day x

[sheluk]

Ok, today sounds pretty awesome! Oh to have kids old enough to sit still 😄

How weren’t you guys hungover as hell by early afternoon? I’d be wrecked lol.

Sounds like a perfect evening at AK then the pool! X

[mick]

Another brilliant day

Joan

[flo-tinka]

Unlimited champagne, can’t believe you didn’t need a siesta after that!
Gorgeous day

[miss_mouse]

What a chilled day!
I never thought of Cali grill for brunch. It looked lovely!
We went in 2014 as our friends had their wedding meal there.
Looked such a relaxing atmosphere xx