I’m kinda glad to hear that about Illuminations. We have to get up early the next morning for Tragical Express so I was thinking we should probably skip it. Really enjoying your trip report and appreciate your honest opinions!
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Thank you SOOOOOO much for your review of Illuminations FPP. I have been stalking your plan to hear about that because I am hoping to do the same and grab a FPP as a 4th our Epcot day and I had heard such bad things about the FPP viewing section AND I was concerned about how early we would still have to get there! You completely addressed all my fears, so thank you!
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What a great pic of spaceship earth you got from the monorail! Love it. We also find Illuminations to be just ok. It’s nice, but I don’t usually ever go out of my way to see it. And I can’t wait to hear about Brunch at the Top. My husband and I have a reservation for that for our adults-only trip in February.
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[quote=“OBNurseNH, post:60, topic:27465”]
I’m not sure if the security guard we had was in training or what but she was EXTREMELY thorough[/quote]
I’ve run into a few guards who seem to want to do a full body cavity search. Some want me to remove items from my backpack and others don’t. It doesn’t slow me down all that much, but I get self-conscious about holding the line up for the people behind me. There are a lot of pockets in my backpack!
[quote=“OBNurseNH, post:60, topic:27465”]
In any case, we noticed as we approached the area that people were already lining up in the FPP area[/quote]
I’ve used FPP for Illuminations a couple of times because it’s a great location for photography. I don’t know how early one has to arrive to be first in line for that. I’ve tried to get there early so I could setup my camera in a good location that doesn’t block anyone’s view, but I have not yet arrived early enough to get a spot at the rail.
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Can’t wait for brunch!!
We stayed at POP in April. We came out of HS after the fireworks then meet and greet with Chewbacca. POP was the furthest bus stop there. They had two buses at that stop loading for the resort. We just missed one bus and were among the first on the outer bus when we boarded so we got seats together.
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Sunday: Brunch At the Top
We slept in a little bit on Sunday morning. By Disney standards, anyway 
We had a 10:00 reservation at California Grill for Brunch and I figured we should be at the bus stop by 9:15 for a prompt arrival. I have this super geeky thing about me that gets a total rise when I arrive somewhere exactly on time. And it happened this day too!
We took the Pop-MK bus which was quite a bit more crowded this day than the morning bus to HS the day before. I had not accounted for an 0900 park opening which meant that 150% of guests would be heading that way at the same time. No worries, we somehow managed to get seats anyway and arrived swiftly at MK. The walk to CR was short but reminded me that it would get HOT later on.
[Sidenote here for the Ladies:I was so happy that I had packed sundresses for our entire stay as that helped me stay comfortable. I invested in a pair of Jockey Slip Shorts some time ago from Walmart. I grabbed two more pair from Target before this trip. Though the same brand, the Target ones were much much better: they did the job they were supposed to do without riding up or rolling at the waistband, whereas the Walmart ones did a little of both. Back to our brunch…]
We arrived at the check-in desk for CaliGrill at 9:55 and were whisked upstairs in our “private” elevator (packed in with about 20 of our closest strangers). Upon arrival, our hostess greeted us warmly and offered the first of our bottomless mimosas. I eagerly accepted! What a decadent way to start a day! We were brought directly to our table, just to the right of the jazz band and up against the window.
It was, as you can see, a bright and clear day and the view was just overwhelmingly beautiful
At our table, an envelope waited for us. I joked to DH that maybe it was like on The Bachelor when they offer the couple the option of staying together in the romantic suite It was a card wishing us a Happy Anniversary.
Our waiter, Chris, arrived momentarily and, as it was our first time, gave us a run-down of how the brunch seating works. He offered additional beverages while also taking the time to point out the bloody Mary bar. I ordered a coffee and DH had an orange juice. The coffee was the best I’ve had on property - rich and strong and not at all bitter. Just perfect. After Chris returned with our pastry plate, we made our first go at the appetizer buffet.
We enjoyed the charcuterie and DH enjoyed the deviled eggs and yogurt station. I otherwise focused heavily on the sushi. If you like sushi, you will LOVE this. I have never had such fresh and delicious sushi ever. I would have been happy to gorge on that all morning; in fact I made two trips after the first. It was difficult to remind myself that we had a whole entree coming to us yet.
About that bloody Mary you see pictured: I approached the bar and was taken care of 1:1. My bartender, whose name I failed to note, assisted me in selecting additives for my beverage, including vodka (I chose Belvedere), hot sauce (there are several - I went mid-point on the hotness scale), and up to 5 garnishes. I chose shrimp (extra jumbo, by the way), olives, celery, pickle, and zucchini/summer squash. My drink resembled a work of art and was additional foods besides!
A bit later - this is a relaxed brunch, by the way, and we spent a solid 90 minutes enjoying it - Chris returned with our entrees. DH had the Chef’s Frittata while I had the Lobster Eggs Benedict. I failed to get a shot of DH’s entree before he dug in. He said it was delicious 
Here is my entree
Now, I am from New England. I have grown up on lobster, and I have had plenty of very good lobster in my life. Nothing has ever compared to THIS lobster. Two very large butter poached tails sat upon the grilled biscuit and eggs and were so flavorful and tender that as I write I am salivating. I will dream about this lobster for many nights to come. I will also investigate butter-poaching from now on
I ate all of the lobster (gotta get the good stuff in!) and one biscuit and egg before I called it quits knowing dessert was yet to come.
While awaiting its arrival, I excused myself to the restroom. On the return trip I noted the music the jazz band was playing. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it was a familiar tune - sort of, but not quite. When I returned to the table DH and I sorted it out - Nirvana Smells Like Teen Spirit! 
They went on to play other rock 'n roll selections toned down and mellowed out for jazz brunch enjoyment. It was not just amusing, it was quite well done! These guys do a great job.
I returned to the table and shortly Chris returned with our dessert plate. I was already SO full, but I had to sample some of it! I had half a lemon cookie, a bite of the strawberry macaroon, a taste of the chocolate toffee brittle, and half a raspberry cookie
Having had more than I needed to (did I mention two more mimosas??), it was time for us to roll out of there. This was by far one of the best meals I’ve ever had, and although it was an indulgence at $79/ea plus the bloody mary, tax, and tip, it was WELL worth it. I’m so glad we did it and I would do it again in a heartbeat. And I encourage you to, if you get the chance
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I was sitting here today hoping you you post this! I am drooling just reading it!
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Sounds awesome…great photos…
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Ahh… looks and sounds wonderful, @OBNurseNH! What a wonderful brunch!
That Bloody Mary sure was a work of art! And I am sitting here imagining “Smells Like Teen Spirit” with a jazz flavour - very cool! 
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I think I will dream of your picture of this dish including the lobster for many nights until the day comes I get to try it myself!
I just told my DH one of our anniversaries we are totally copy-catting you and doing Brunch at the Top. AH-maze-ing! I can’t wait to figure out which one of our anniversaries that will be!
Awesome trip report and can’t wait to keep hearing more!!
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We had an equally amazing dinner there. the pork two ways entree was life changing lol.
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I’m just waking up from my day’s sleep. I thought all of you should know that literally dreamed all day about lobster eggs Benedict. I have awakened hungry and sad.
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Wow that sounds amazing!!
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I read your last installment while eating my sad lunch of hard boiled eggs and a Kind bar…nuff said!
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It’s our Anniversary in the World next year…I now know where we are going 
Your trip report is a lovely read and the pictures bring it alive.
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We made our way out of the CaliGrill and strolled from CR to MK. In the days leading up to our trip, folks were all a dither over a tropical storm-hurricane-tropical storm and many folks sadly cancelled their trips. We definitely felt the impact of the storm
We were through bag check and the tapstiles in short order and stepped into town square to be greeted by fall decor! It was so pretty!
We stopped and had a photo taken
And made our way slowly up Main Street
And had perfect timing to catch the Autumn version of the Trolley Show! It had been eons since I had seen the Trolley Show and it was on my wish list for this trip. I was glad we got there just in time
Our first FPP were not until 1:05 so we had an hour to spend. As a family our traditional first MK ride has always been Dumbo, so we decided to keep the tradition alive and headed that way. We stopped at the end of Main Street for another photo by photopass photographer Kayla. She couldn’t have been more disinterested in her job, and we completely felt like we were bothering her! Not magical, and an incredibly rare experience in all of our cast member interactions in all of our visits.
Since we didn’t have a FPP for Dumbo, we experienced the new queue for the first time. Such a neat concept that I couldn’t put my head around til we had done it. We waited in line to receive a pager and were allowed admission to the waiting area, which is a huge playground for the kids. It’s climate controlled and plenty of seating for the grownups. Such a fantastic concept!
Our wait was not long at all and before we knew it we were flying high!
Of course, given my profession I had to get a pic of the storks
Our FPP window had opened by the time we were done so we made our way over to 7DMT. The FPP line seemed long, but it moved surprisingly fast. We were aboard in no time
With some time to kill before our HM FPP we dropped in to Memento Mori. We had never been in the shop before and they have some really neat HM stuff in there! We used our FPP to ride HM which was such a relief – the line snaked around the corner toward the Liberty Square River Boat. I have waited in that line when it was shorter than that and it was waaaaaaaay too long. Our wait was short and sweet
After that we did some shopping in Liberty Square, and took in HoP for the first time ever. A really pretty neat show, actually! We enjoyed it and will do it again. I will be curious to see the new president after she is installed!
When we came out of the show it was just minutes til FOF Parade time! We slowly snaked our way to the area in front of LTT and grabbed a great spot for viewing. Proof that you do not need to sit for a hour ahead of time. We used the Frontierland area for the first time last November and I do not believe we will see any parades from any other location in MK again.
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I think you should get a ribbon for sitting through HoP without falling asleep. We must have sat through that 5 times on 24 hour day and I couldn’t tell you anything about it lol
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I see what you did there!
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I wondered if it would be noted. 
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