After taking pictures of Flat Brody with Bronze Pluto we made it to the Haunted Mansion. The posted wait time was 20 minutes which seemed reasonable.
Did I mention that it was still Spring Break for many schools - mainly New York? And that the Parks were crowded. With Easter so early this year, Spring Breaks were spread throughout all of April and it was hard to plan around the crowds.
The line was moving quickly but Flat Brody had time to take a picture of the Haunted Mansion.
We waited in line behind four flamboyant men. I don’t remember what they were talking about exactly but there were lots of big arm gestures, hands on hips, and it kept me entertained during the wait in line. I love to eavesdrop on queue conversations. (I like to eavesdrop in restaurants also. It is a guilty pleasure of mine.)
I love the new and improved Haunted Mansion. The dustyness got dusted and spruced up without any of the charm being removed. The ride even stopped at my favorite part - the ballroom scene. Although it is a bunch of ghost waltzing around it is still a happy event in a spooky kind of way. And I love the ghost who is passed our under the table - I’ve been to a few formal events where that would have been an improvement to the evening.
After having a ghost host join us in our doom buggy I had planned on popping over the it’s a small world since we had missed it earlier in the morning but it was getting close to 11 a.m. and we wanted to try to be at the Plaza Restaurant right when it opened.
In the 36 years since the Magic Kingdom has been open, neither of us has ever been to the Plaza Restaurant. And since this was a trip of firsts, Mom and I thought it was time to check it out. Of course, we didn’t make a reservation which is why I wanted to be there right at the start of lunch time.
We made it to the check-in stand and were that they could seat us in about 10 minutes. Mom found us an outside table with shade to wait while we perused the menu. We were getting rather hungry since we ate really early - and yogurt only lasts so long. Of course from these tables you can smell the piped in smells from the bakery which only made me want a great big cinnamon roll more than I did this morning.
Flat Brody got a picture of Tomorrowland from the tables outside the Plaza Restaurant.
In about 5 minutes a turn-of-the-century costumed hostess called our name. We hopped up and walked past all of the waiting minions into the quaint restaurant.
When you enter, you walk in and see lots of cute marble top tables and these charming swinging doors to the kitchen. It is like an old fashioned ice cream parlor without the ice cream.
But wouldn’t you know that our Disney bubble was quickly burst when the hostess tried to sit us at the little table right next to those charming swinging doors leading to the kitchen. This is the table you see in a sitcom where the person gets a head injury from the swinging doors and has soup spilled on them and then they get a head rush from eating ice cream for dessert.
I quickly spoke up and asked if we could have a different table. The hostess looked like a deer in headlights. She was totally perplexed - like no one had ever asked for a different table. She told us to wait just a minute and she walked back outside to the check-in stand in her confused state.
So, Mom and I are waiting by the highly undesirable table when in a matter of a minute not one, not two, but three Cast Members told us not to stand where we were - in a rather condescending way I might add. It wasn’t obviously condescending but I am from the South so I know how to do subtle condescension pretty good and these CM’s were definitely condescending. You know, like you are really irritated but you say it politely through clenched teeth all the while smiling.
And of course they never once suggested where we should stand as an alternative. I think they thought we had just walked in to the restaurant without a reservation and were looking for a table to sit at - as if we would be so stupid to just stand next to such an undesirable table when there were about 20 open tables.
I do have to admit that my inner Princesszilla emerge a little when the third Cast Member told us to move. I replied in a slightly snotty tone that we were waiting for the hostess to find another table for us since I did not want to sit there - as I pointed to the highly undesirable table. Everyone acted like the restaurant was really busy and no one had ever refused to sit at the world’s worst table.
We finally got seated in the glass conservatory section and I do have to say it was much quieter in there since we weren't near the kitchen or the entrance. We had already looked at the menu so we already knew what we wanted. But it took about 10 minutes for our server to finally come take our order. He kept telling us he was on his way but never really got around to stopping. (And the restaurant wasn’t full - it was still really early and only about 1/4th of the tables had been seated.) We weren’t in a big hurry so it wasn’t that big of a deal. When our server did attend to us, he was very pleasant and efficient.
I ordered the Angus Chuck Burger with fries and Mom ordered the Plaza Club with German potato salad.
Flat Brody seems to be enjoying the cheeseburger.
If truth be told, the cheeseburger was disappointing. It was a machine pressed patty that was very dry. It looked pretty though.
A cheeseburger is just about my favorite food in the world and I am not all that picky. So it takes quite a bit for me to say a cheeseburger isn’t very good. But the fries were fantabulous!!!! And the club sandwich was very good. Mom loved the bread and the German potato salad.
We had to wait what seemed forever to get our check and then we did have to wait for forever to have our server pick it up. Very frustrating for someone who wants to get back in to the Parks.
Am I the only person who has noticed that Disney restaurants don’t have any idea how to turn tables? I’m not suggesting they rush people through their meals but to have to wait almost a half an hour to pay the check is a little ridiculous in my book.
Wouldn’t you know that when we walked out of the restaurant the infamous undesirable table by the swinging kitchen doors was the only empty table in the restaurant. Hmmmm, a coincidence? I think not!!
All in all, our Plaza Restaurant experience wasn’t all that great. Next time I think we will just stick to Columbia Harbour House or Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe - not a swinging door to be found.
Next installment - Shopping with the Main Street Philharmonic.
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