Hettie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2001
Day 8 – Sept 13
It’s Called the NO-mad Lounge!
It’s Called the NO-mad Lounge!
We decided to make it a relaxed morning since we wanted to go to AK in the evening to see Pandora and the Tree of Life at night for the first time. It would have been nice to sleep in, but Asher wasn’t going to let that happen, so we were up early and thinking about breakfast. I suggested either The Wave or Grand Floridian Café and Chad chose the latter, which was fine because it was a beautiful morning and we loved the walk over to GF. We noticed that the resort landscaping had been mostly cleaned up during the previous day when they were able to get everyone back to the parks.
It was very peaceful and quiet in the Café, we were the only party seated for some time. This was our first visit to the restaurant and I loved the atmosphere with the bright sun pouring in the windows and the gorgeous views of the gardens outside the restaurant. It’s a perfect spot for a relaxing breakfast or lazy brunch and I love that they have the same brunch menu for both breakfast and lunch. If we ever got to sleep in, I would love to have brunch there.
It was early and we were in the mood for breakfast food. I ordered the Eggceptional Morning: One Scrambled Egg with Bacon, Turkey Sausage, and Toast for Asher and I thought I ordered some fruit for him too, but it’s not on the receipt, so we apparently weren’t charged for it, which is nice. He totally crushed this meal, there wasn’t a crumb left on his plate and our server was very impressed.
Chad had the French Toast: Brioche French Toast with Madagascar Vanilla Bean-Butter with Bacon or Sausage and a side of plain hash browns, I guess he really wanted to carb it up that morning. I don’t remember him saying much about his food, except that it was good and he shoveled it in, so it must have been pretty tasty.
I was more interested in my coffee and mimosa. I had a hard time deciding between a mimosa or bloody Mary and I’ve been known to order both AND a coffee at breakfast or brunch, but went with the mimosa this time. They add Grand Marnier to theirs, which is a fancy touch. I had no trouble deciding to order the Lobster Benedict: Two-poached Eggs, Toasted English Muffin, Lobster, Hollandaise, and Marinated Tomato Salad and it was so wonderful looking that I was inspired to take a food photo!
This was a wonderful benedict, there were nice piles of tender lobster under the eggs, which were cooked perfectly. I really loved the tomato salad as an accompaniment, it’s nice to have something acidic on the side with the benedict that was rich with the buttery lobster and fresh hollandaise.
Overall, we were super impressed with the Grand Floridian Café, the food and service were fantastic. It was convenient when staying at the Poly, but it was so good that I would make a special trip there for breakfast or brunch. It would be nice to go to EMH morning at MK and then head over to GF mid-morning for brunch, that sounds really great to me.
As we strolled toward the Poly walkway after breakfast, a friendly CM saw how Asher was enamored with his golf cart and offered the boys a ride, which was probably Asher’s favorite ride in all of WDW.
I had some business to attend to and Asher needed a diaper change, so Chad took him back to the room while I visited the GCH to make sure we could stay in our room the next day when our reservation changed over to the two nights I had added. Then I had a leisurely walk over to the TTC to upgrade our tickets to APs. I took my time and enjoyed the peaceful walk, since when you have a toddler, even the simplest tasks can feel like a vacation if you get a few minutes alone.
Then it was laundry and pool time at the Lava pool, which is a fun pool, but with a toddler I preferred the quiet Oasis pool since he is too little for the slide and the splash area was too crazy for him.
We had a picnic of sandwiches, chips, and random snacks from our food stash which was a good break from heavy restaurant food. I was trying to get back to the room for an early naptime so we could get to AK earlier in the evening, but it felt impossible to ever get to nap earlier than 2 pm and this day was no different, because you know, there are important things like this to do…
We drove our own vehicle to AK after nap to save time and the first stop on our must-do list was Nomad Lounge as we were trying to beat the evening rush, but the place was already packed. There were no tables inside and only one small table open outside, but I stalked a couch and managed to squeeze in as a couple was leaving. It was HOT outside, but the atmosphere was worth the sweat and we ordered icy cocktails to cool us down. Asher managed to bonk his head on the back of the couch immediately after sitting down and he howled a bit, fortunately he recovers quickly from these sorts of incidents. Then he wanted to go bang on some small tables that look like bongos, so we gave him his snacks and let him watch a show on my phone so we could hopefully chill a bit and save the other patrons from toddler noise. This was our also first visit here as well and we wanted to soak up the atmosphere.
I had the Spice Trader Classic: Hayman's Old Tom Gin, Dolin Vermouth Blanc, Lemon Juice, and Strawberries topped with Soda Water and it was perfectly mixed and refreshing for a hot afternoon. I especially enjoy light gin cocktails with citrus and subtle fruit flavors and this was exceptional. I loved the unadvertised shiso leaf included, which is a Japanese herb that I love and grow in pots in the summer. My friend gave me a starter pot and it just keeps coming back every year. Anyway, it has a wonderfully unique flavor and was a fun addition to the drink.
Chad had the Boto-Rita: Zignum Reposado Mezcal, Combier Grapefruit Liqueur, Guava Purée, and Lime Juice which he says was good and he would recommend it, but would try something else next time just because there were so many interesting choices.
Asher had water.
Our server Ritch was fantastic and very welcoming. We ordered the charcuterie to share and enjoyed it, our favorite item being a fancy bologna and that’s the only detail either of us remember. I was enjoying our time on the lovely verandah, as was Asher.
For some reason, Chad started chatting with a lady at a nearby table, I think he was telling her that the party on the couch next to us was leaving soon if she and her friend wanted to move over there (because that’s just how he is) and she was very nice, but her friend was shooting daggers at us with her eyes and I have no idea why she hated us so much. It felt like she was channeling every reason she had to hate anything ever in our direction. Seriously, disgust would have been an understatement. We are still perplexed about it, our kid was being very well behaved, we’re not loud or obnoxious, we don’t have body odor…
Despite the weird vibe, I was enjoying myself and ordered a glass of chenin blanc, but as soon as Ritch brought it around, Asher started to get antsy, so it was time for a quick exit, which meant wine in a to-go cup for mommy. At least it was a wine glass shaped plastic cup, which makes it somehow more acceptable. Chad shuttled Asher out while I took care of the tab and Ritch so thoughtfully brought a lotus glow-cube for Asher, which seriously made the rest of our evening more enjoyable. It’s amazing how long something like that can keep a kid entertained while riding in a stroller.
After our relaxing time at No-mad, we headed toward Dinoland for some dinosaur spinny fun and I stopped into some shops on the way. While I was in a shop, this happened…
So apparently Asher got over his character weirdos just like that. And yes, they match, it wasn't planned, it happens all the time. I apparently subconsciously dress my son like a miniature of his dad. Chad said he insisted on doing a “big hello” instead of just waving from a distance. He wanted to do the “big hello” with Goofy and Pluto over in Dinoland, but they were leaving early for an event.
Kilimanjaro Safari at sunset was on our to-do list and we had a fastpass, but we needed more sustenance than just charcuterie for our safari adventure, so a quick stop in (a very empty) Harambe Market was in order. We all shared the ribs and the sausage, which we’ve had several times before and this time they weren’t quite as enjoyable as in the past. The ribs were somehow lacking a bit in flavor, the sausage was about the same, but the salads were seriously lacking in flavor compared to our past experiences. Also, the salads were full of liquid and the serving containers there have holes in them, so uhhh…what??? It was really messy. It was still good and I love the atmosphere in that part of the park. Chad and I also shared a Reef Donkey IPA, which was a nice beer with the food.
This was our first time in AK at night, so were were pumped about a sunset safari and the animals did not disappoint. Some are more boring at that time of day, but we saw some amazing activity on the savannah portion, which our very loud and annoying safari guide almost burst our eardrums over. She was incredibly loud.
The last item on our to-do list was to walk through Pandora after dark and we needed strolling drinks so another stop at Dawa Bar was in order for our favorite rum drinks (again). Pandora was packed even though the rest of the park was empty so after checking it out for a bit, we made our way to the Tree of Life to hopefully see the projection show, which we did manage to catch, then shopped while we waited for ROL crowds to clear out. It was a late night, as we anticipated, and we were grateful to have our own vehicle rather than waiting for a bus. It was a long, tired walk to the parking lot, but we survived.
Up next, Day 9: “No like-a ‘dis”