Day 4 - Part 2 World Showcase and Crews Cup Lounge
Having Beach Club Villas as your DVC home resort is pretty awesome. My mom and dad bought into it before it opened in the early 2000's and I dare say, apart from having me, it might be the best decision they ever made
I love being able to walk to 2 different parks. The pool is awesome too and although it's HUGE and a bit daunting when you have little kids it's almost like having your very own water park at the hotel.
The number one benefit is being a hop skip and jump from my favorite place...World Showcase. I've always loved WS...even when I was little. I love the architecture and the gardens, the different shops and now I love the various boozes to sample. Although the last few trips it seems as though we head to Mexico first, back track BACK to Mexico, do a lap, find ourselves BACK in Mexico. I was really sad that our Epcot/WS was so short and crowded. It was the perfect storm of the kids being tired, an early dinner reservation and the fact that Sunday was JAMMED with people. I remember looking at the bridge from France to England and it was just a sea of people and all clogged up over by England. The booths all had really long lines which you just can't do with little kids. Funny enough, my kids give zero about my desire for a grey goose slushie. Scott wasn't into waiting on a bench trying to entertain the kids while I got a $14 drink either lol.
We took full advantage of my parents being an extra set of hands and all decided we would try to enjoy World Showcase as it's meant to be enjoyed. With expensive drinks. And honestly, what good are Grandparents if they don't watch your kids while you drink booze?????? Jk jk jk. We hopped on the monorail from MK and we were pretty quickly and efficiently checked through security.
How cute are they? Look at all the sass Alice is giving! Loves.
First stop, Mexico, obvs. I knew there was not a chance in heck that my parents would wait 20minutes for a margarita. They're retired, so you would think they've got all the time in the world. But it's more like, "We're AP holders and we will be here in a couple weeks and there's no way that's happening". The AP/frequent guest mentality makes sense. If you knew that you wouldn't be having that favorite snack or drink for YEARS, you make it a priority. Otherwise, meh. I find myself doing this and we go about every 2 years. It's like, I'm not going stand in line for 30 minutes for Werthers. I'm just not. Speaking of, Germany:
Flowers in Italy
Ooh! My drink look low! Time to visit my one and only F&G booth....The Smokehouse. I have been DYING over the burnt ends hash. Living in TX I acquired an appreciation for brisket and especially the burnt ends. YUMMMMMMMM. Scott and I shared the beef Brisket Burnt Ends Hash with White Cheddar Fondue and Pickled Jalapeños and a pulled pork slider with coleslaw on top. I also ordered the blackberry moonshine frozen lemonade because why the heck not??? The pulled pork sandwich was pretty good. The bread was fresh and slightly sweet, but there was A LOT of bread on the top bun. I basically just cut it with a fork and knife. The burnt ends were amazing. The cheese sauce was sharp and the brisket had a really nice char and the jalapenos were not to spicy but added that nice vinegar kick. The blackberry moonshine was also delightful. Not super strong tasting but I definitely felt it afterwards. Total for all 3 items was $24.50.
I may or may not have been buzzed in Japan and may or may not have danced to the Taiko drummers. These guys are the best. Probably my favorite thing to do is sit and watch them. I catch a show every visit. Would love to maybe see them in a new outfit?
The moonshine may also have contributed to having Alice pick a pearl
I mean, how cute is this girl with Alice? That's gotta be the best job in Disney. Everyone is a winner! Alice got a big one too. 7mm I believe? We paid for the setting and the nice red box and it ended up costing like, $40. But a nice keepsake nonetheless. Rowan wanted this crazy ninja figurine that was about $350....so we distracted him with pocky sticks lol. Fair trade.
My mom and I popped into France for some pastries to bring back to her condo to enjoy when we got there the next day. You guys are going to be mad, but I didn't take pics of our desserts! AHH! We got napoleons, creme brulee, a strawberry tart, chocolate mousse dome, chocolate croissants and a couple eclairs. I promise the next time I go I will take lots of snaps of the desserts. They were delicious. The creme brulee especially. I enjoy cooking, and now that my kids are older and I've got a bit more time on the weekends, I have been doing a little bit more baking. Pies, cakes, cookies, that sort of thing. After my trip I decided to dip my toe in creme brulees. I'll let you all know how it turns out.
It was about 5pm and we could tell the kids were getting hangry. The dinner F&G crowds were showing up too, so after saying a tearful goodbye to my favorite place, we walked back over to Beach Club, stopped up at the room to drop off the delicious bakery treats, grabbed the kid's tablets and headphones and went for a nice quiet drink and some apps as Crews Cup Lounge at the Yacht Club.
Scott and I stopped here on a whim before dinner on our anniversary trip and really enjoyed the atmosphere and the truffle fries! I was looking forward to a nice relaxing dinner. The bar is next to the Yachtsman Steakhouse down a quiet hallway. Crews Cup is nicely lit and comfy. It has an Adirondack camp feel too it. Lots of wood and copper accents. We plopped the kids on the couch with their kindles and headsets and they were quiet as mice.
Now, we just got the kids tablets and headphones for Christmas. Not to ever be Sanctimommy about it, but we really try to get our kids to behave in restaurants without using phones and tablets. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Unfortunately, us parents these days get heat from both sides. Either our kids are mindless zombies that we're not bonding with every moment of every day, or our kids act like maniacs in restaurants and we have no control over them. I think there's a balance. Sometimes both the kids and parents need a break from talking to each other. Sometimes, you are in a primarily adult lounge and recognize that people are trying to have a quiet meal. This was a little bit of both. I was looking forward to catching up with my parents and my kids were just over stimulated. This worked out for all parties involved
Scott and my dad both ordered Jai Alais and mom and I both ordered Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. Always a solid chard choice in my book. I love really oakey, really buttery California chardonnays. My personal fav at the moment is Bread and Butter Chardonnay. It's reasonably priced and a really nice buttery chard. The guys both ordered
Beer-braised Mussels and Clams Chorizo, Fines Herbs, Garlic-Herb Butter with Toasted Focaccia - which is the same appetizer that they have on the Captain's Grille menu. I don't have a pic, but here's Scott with his bowl from our Aug 2014 trip:
Except they come in a white bowl at the Crew's Cup. But as you can see, there's a ton of mussels with lots of chorizo, garlic, wine and lemon. Scott and my dad were really happy with this dish. They said the mussels were fresh and the sauce was really nice. They don't have kids choices listed on the menu, but if you ask, they do serve standard kid menu choices: pasta, chicken fingers, grilled cheese etc. We ordered the kids pasta and a side of veggies. They devoured the pasta, and even ate a few of the green beans, although I didn't even push it. Sometimes you get tired of parenting lol. I ended up with the Yacht Club burger
Signature Blend Beef, Swiss, Brandy Peppercorn Sauce, Sautéed Mushrooms, Onion Jam, Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato $18.00 (I asked for no mushrooms). Ehrmergerd you guys. It was AMAZING. I am so sorry I didn't take a picture of this burger
I feel bad because this burger was probably one of the best I've ever had. Cooked perfectly and not obnoxiously huge. You could taste each component of the burger....the brandy sauce, onion jam *which might be my most favorite condiment of all time* and bacon. The bun stood up to the juices and didn't get soggy or fall apart. I asked for some truffle fries on the side and it was a much smaller portion than I had last time...so perhaps it was a slight upcharge from the regular side of fries? I wouldn't know because my parents paid for dinner y'all! Whoop! Truffle fries were amazing as per usual. Crispy and salty and earthy with that amazing shallot mayonnaise.
I think the bill was around $100 for 2 beers, 2 glasses of wine, 2 apps, 1 burger and 2 kids meals. Not too shabby. We got great service and was a real respite from the heavy crowds and noisy meals we've had all week. Definitely worth ducking into if you're looking for a break or something different. It's got a great vibe and the food is really good here.
We said our goodbyes to mom and dad and we would be seeing them the next day. We originally were planning to check out in the morning and hit the road, but the weather on Wednesday was supposed to the chilliest all week. 60 as a high in Orlando and mid 50's for Clearwater Beach with high winds. So we decided to hit up MK for the morning and just try to tick a few more rides off the list.
Coming up: Final day and final thoughts