Brother/Sister Walt Disney World Vacation

2007 was the “Year of a Million Dreams” or should I say one of the years since that promotion ran for 27 months. I made two trips to Walt Disney World that year. My in-laws joined us for our usual fall trip for the Food and Wine Festival. However, the really special visit was one with my brother in February of 2007.

My husband and I moved to Oklahoma in late 2005. By early 2007, my brother Chris and I decided a second brother/sister WDW trip was in order. Our first had been in 2004 for the Mission Space Annual Passholder (AP) preview. Chris and I travel really well together. I like to plan and he’s happy with most plans, as long as there is one.

At the Mission Space preview in 2004

We are Disney Vacation Club members but chose not to use points for this trip. Instead, we got an AP discount at our favorite moderate resort, Port Orleans Riverside. I love this resort. The grounds are lush and beautiful and it’s a great place to go for a morning jog. Chris’ flight didn’t arrive until really late so I had the first evening to myself. I took the opportunity to meander to Port Orleans French Quarter, taking photos along the way. After a stop in the POFQ food court for dinner, I did some shopping at Downtown Disney. I discovered that I really shouldn’t shop there alone. Let’s just say that I spent more than normal, however I still love the items I bought that day.

Since it was the Year of a Million Dreams and we (probably just me) wanted an excuse to do so, Chris and I had t-shirts made showing our vacation checklist. It didn’t get us anything from the Dream Squad but they made a great souvenir. We took pictures along the way of some of the items on our list. (I took 4 trips to WDW during the YoaMD and my only encounter with the Dream Squad was a very cute ear hat.)

We were able to check out a few things that were fairly new on this visit. The pirate tutorial sessions near Pirates of the Caribbean were just getting started. There is a stage now but in the beginning, they just used an open space to the left of the queue entrance. It features every big girl’s favorite face character...Captain Jack.

Finding Nemo The Musical was also new to us on this trip, having just opened in November 2006. Chris humored me and stood in the rain to wait for the show. I love this show. It’s amazing how you are so aware of the actors but at the same time, convinced that Nemo is real.

I don’t know if this was really new or not, but it was certainly the first time it had caught our attention. Club Cool offers free sodas from around the world, including everyone’s favorite, Beverly. There are some Coke products for sale in Club Cool. Chris had recently worked for the local Coca-Cola distributor at home so we lingered a bit longer than usual. He decided to pay an extra fifty cents over the regular price of water to create the “souvenir bottle.” You choose a wrap, slide it on the bottle, and this gizmo shrink wraps your disposable bottle. If that’s not genius marketing, I don’t know what is. Get people to pay more for something they aren’t going to keep anyway.

We did not attend but the short-lived Pirate and Princess Party was being held at Magic Kingdom that spring. This party was along the lines of the holiday parties but didn’t earn nearly the rave reviews of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. It wasn’t tied to any holiday, it just used pirates and princesses for the themes of the parade, fireworks, dance parties, etc. By 2009, no more dates were scheduled.

Pal Mickey made the trip with us again in 2007. He had been an excellent travel buddy during our 2004 adventure so we let him tag along again. We really didn’t need more pictures of ourselves in the parks but it was funny to take photos of Mickey. Since this was before we all carried smart phones, it was neat to hear him tell jokes and share park information and know where he was on Disney property.

In general, we just enjoyed spending some time together, taking in attractions and dining at a few favorite restaurants. Garden Grill was a good meal and a wonderful character greeting opportunity. Our lunch at Brown Derby was one of the best meals I’ve ever had at Walt Disney World. I had a cobb salad topped with seared tuna and Chris loved his steak. And for some reason, I remember the butter was the perfect temperature for their crispy rolls.

Time moves on and life happens. Since this 2007 vacation, I’ve had two children and moved to yet another state. Chris and I may not be able to take another brother/sister trip for a good while but we get to share Disney fun several times a week here on the blog.


This article originally appeared on Distherapy as a part of the 40 Days to 40 Years series.  DisneyDad and I were each proud to share a memorable vacation.  --Amy

Hollywood Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake Recipe

Today on their Wedding Cake Wednesday feature, the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings blog shared a fantastic recipe and I wanted to pass it along to those of you who may not follow them.

Hollywood Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake

• 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons grapefruit juice
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
• 1 can (16 ounces) grapefruit sections, drained well

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Lightly grease a 9-inch by 2-inch round cake pan.  Line the bottom of the pan with wax paper and lightly grease the paper.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, oil, water, grapefruit juice and lemon zest until smooth.  Whisk in the flour mixture.
4. In a medium bowl using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar just to stiff peaks.  With a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture until just blended.  Pour into the prepared pan.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched lightly in the center.  Invert the cake, still in the pan, and cool on a wire rack.
6. Run a spatula or a table knife around the edge of the cake.  Carefully remove the cake from the pan.  With a serrated knife, cut cake in half horizontally.
7. Spread the Cream Cheese Frosting on the bottom half of the cake.  Top with several grapefruit sections.  Cover with the second layer of the cake and frost the top and the sides.
8. Serve the cake garnished with remaining grapefruit sections. (Serves Eight)

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 6 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese on high speed until light and fluffy.
2. Add the lemon juice and the lemon zest.  Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until well blended.  Add the food coloring, if desired.

Team Favorites--In-Park, Non-Character Dining

Ridge: My favorite in-park yet non-character meal spot is The Hollywood Brown Derby. It would have to be one of the best in-park places to get a steak, other than Le Cellier. The steak pictured is no longer on the menu but it was fantastic. It was served with a wasabi emulsion, soy reduction and a reduced pan sauce. The large yellow object was a fried plantain and the steak was cut on the bias and plated with smashed potatoes to hold them in their positions. But enough about those delicious morsels...if you're into that sort of thing.

The Brown Derby is designed after the famous holder of that moniker, which is actually a chain in Hollywood, CA. The Brown Derby restaurants became synonymous with the golden age of Hollywood in the 1920s-1940s. Everyone who was anyone in show business went there. So at the Hollywood Studios the recreation of the original seemed only natural, back when it was a working studio, to bring a bit of class to the park.

Lunch is served from 11:30-3:30pm and dinner is from 3:30- until park closing. One of the eye-catching new items on the menu is the Duck Two Ways: duck with a vanilla-white balsamic melon pear salad and a braised leg with a ginger-carrot puree and natural reduction. Loch Daurt Salmon sounds intriguing: glazed with Scotch whisky over arugula, watercress, local peaches, blue affine, walnuts and a fig and orange blossom honey dressing. Don't forget the signature desert, Grapefruit cake, yellow cake with layers of grapefruit cream icing. It is really good if you are into little morsels of deliciousness exploding in your mouth.


DisneyDad: Over the years my wife and I have had some wonderful and not so wonderful experiences at restaurants in the parks at WDW. My favorite place to dine is always the next place we have reservations. As menus are always changing, I'm always a little disappointed that my favorite dish from my last visit isn't on the menu this trip but then again there is always something new to try. On our last trip we had a very good experience at the Coral Reef Restaurant at the Living Seas Pavilion at EPCOT. We had a table for two next to one of the expansive windows that overlooks the aquarium. We dined on seafood as fish, sharks, turtles, and an occasional diver swam past our table.

Another EPCOT restaurant we enjoy is Le Cellier Steakhouse at the Canadian Pavilion. The steaks here have always been excellent. Apparently I'm not the only one that thinks so as it can be difficult to get reservations here as it is a very popular place to dine. At the Studios I enjoy the food and ambiance of The Hollywood Brown Derby. The drawings on the walls are fascinating, taking you back to an earlier era of Hollywood. The last time we were here a pianist accompanied your meal with some old standards and Disney classics to help make your dining experience more enjoyable. At the Magic Kingdom Cinderella's Royal Table (aka King Stephan's Banquet Hall) use to be a wonderful place to dine. The atmosphere was wonderful and if you had late reservations, it was a fun place to watch the fireworks. It has been changed from a dining experience to just another character meal.


Amy: I got my husband involved in brain-storming for this question and we came up with the following list: Tusker House, Mama Melrose, SciFi, Coral Reef, and Le Cellier.

Tusker House: We went here for lunch last April. Other than date night at Jiko, this was our best meal of the trip. We’re big fans of Boma and this is pretty similar cuisine. My little girl ate better here than anywhere else. The grown-ups enjoyed the seafood stew, salmon, curry dishes, and the carving station with unique sauces for the meat.

Mama Melrose: This was one of my husband’s picks. We went here for lunch in 2006 and were on the Disney Dining plan. He remembered a pleasant atmosphere, good iced tea, and solid Italian food. At the time, DDP gave us each an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. DisneyDad, Mom, Andy, and I each got something different and then we’d all try it. We haven’t been back but I also remember it fondly.

Sci-Fi: I love this place. The menu is never quite what I expect but this is a case where the atmosphere trumps all else. It’s so much fun to go sit in the old cars and watch the cheesy science fiction B-movie clips. It’s usually my top pick at the Studios and I look forward to taking my daughter here. If you’re looking for a foodie experience, go to Brown Derby, but go to Sci-Fi for some unique fun.

Coral Reef: This place has been hit or miss over the years. This was our last meal before heading for the airport on the 2006 trip and that time was marvelous. There were six of us and we had one of the large curved booths overlooking the ginormous aquarium. I still remember the lobster bisque, blackened fish served over grits, and the chocolate wave. The food was wonderful, the service was good, and the atmosphere was fun but refined and relaxing. Fast forward one year. My in-laws joined us for the annual October trip. I had planned everything as was so excited to take them to Coral Reef. The service was incredibly rushed, the food was not good, and it was too noisy for us all to talk. I was so embarrassed that I wanted to crawl under the table. I sincerely hope that was just a bad night since our first trip there was phenomenal.

Le Cellier: My husband lit up when he added this one to the list. This was another Disney Dining plan experience and Andy and Chris were trying to see how much they could “spend” if we had been actually paying for the meal. They both had a great time and a truly delicious meal. I’ve been 3 or 4 times and I really enjoy Le Cellier as well but I feel that it is a little over-hyped in the Disney community.


So that’s what the Growing Up Disney family recommends. What about you? What’s your favorite restaurant in the parks, excluding character dining?