Chapter 104
Three Years

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(Originally posted November 17, 2013)

June 19, 2013

Wednesday was Tracy and my third wedding anniversary, and we were excited to celebrate in our favorite place. She left work, and we started to make our way toward Disneyland. We had a reservation at a very exciting restaurant that we couldn’t wait to get to.

As we got to the Mickey and Friends entrance, I bent down to grab the fanny pack (with our APs in it) to give to the parking attendant. But it wasn’t there. After panicking for a few seconds, I realized that it was, in fact, on the chair. At home. In my haste to get out the door, I had somehow not realized I didn’t grab it.

Incredibly frustrated that this would happen today of all days, we whipped the car around and starting booking it back home. Of course, traffic was a nightmare, so we were convinced we wouldn’t make it back in time. I called the Disneyland dining number and asked how late we could be before they would give away our table. The cast member said we should be okay for about 15 minutes, but after that, they couldn’t guarantee anything…

When we got back home, I literally sprinted to the apartment, grabbed the bag, and made it back within seconds. We were off on our way, feeling much less great about this anniversary dinner than we had the first time around. Hitting traffic again, we made it back to the garage about five minutes before our reservation time.

Entering Disneyland, we “speed-walked” (ran) back to New Orleans Square and arrived about 20 minutes late. Where were we going? Well, in case you hadn’t guessed, we were finally trying out Blue Bayou.

Checking in with the hostess, we apologized profusely for being late, and she said it was no problem at all (tell that to our shin-splints). We asked for a table by the water, and she told us it would probably be a 15-30 minute wait. Deciding it would still probably be worth it, we took a seat in the foyer and waited.

Within maybe 20 minutes, we were called and led to a table in a perfect location right by the water (get ready for several pictures with terrible lighting as I tried not to take too many flash photos in the restaurant).

We looked at the menu while we waited for our server.

We had already decided in advance what we were going to order, so mostly, we were just looking around at the restaurant while we waited.

Right before we ordered, our server brought out this DELICIOUS bread. The ones on top are the Sweet Potato Biscuits, which were just heavenly.

The next course was a cup of the Signature New Orleans Gumbo. I’ve never encountered a gumbo that doesn’t have celery in it, so Tracy got to eat both of our servings.

Before long at all, our entrée came out. We had ordered the Broiled Filet Mignon (with Blue Bayou Au Gratin Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, and Bearnaise Sauce).

It was REALLY tasty. We liked the sauce on the steak a lot, and the potatoes were just delicious. We were even good and ate all our veggies!

Once we had devoured our entrée, we sat around for a while just enjoying the ambiance. I think everyone who has ever been to Blue Bayou will agree that you don’t REALLY go for the food (though we did enjoy our food). You go because when else do you get to eat dinner inside Pirates of the Caribbean?

It was awesome getting to see boats float by and watching all the fireflies in the distance.

Our server, Tim, who had been really great this whole time, told us that he had a special anniversary surprise for us. We waited several minutes, and then he brought over… a jug to refill our water!!

Just kidding. He actually did bring over more water, and then told us, “No, this isn’t the surprise…”

A few minutes later, he brought out our real anniversary surprise—a chocolate mousse dessert.

That little cup of mousse was deceptively rich and filling. By the end of it, we were feeling quite stuffed.

After we finished eating, Tim brought out the check, and we paid for a good portion of the meal using our $25 Disney gift card (thanks Jason!).

Tim probably thought he was done with us after we had settled the bill, but we wanted to ask him if he could take a picture of Tracy and me before we left. We kept creepily making eye contact with him whenever he would walk by to try to get his attention, and Tracy kept saying “TIM!” under her breath. Eventually, he got the hint and came back over. He was glad to take our picture.

We took a few more pictures (none of which turned out too well) before deciding we should probably give up our table to the next waiting party.

We took a few last looks at this beautiful restaurant before heading back out into New Orleans Square.

Overview of Blue Bayou Dining Experience
Service: We really liked our server, Tim. He was attentive and fun, and we thought he did a really great job. 4.5/5
Atmosphere: The atmosphere in Blue Bayou really can’t be beat. I think it’s probably the most unique dining experience in the whole Disneyland Resort being inside of Pirates. Our closest comparison was the San Angel Inn at Epcot where you just really forget that you aren’t outside because they recreate a nighttime exterior scene so well. 5/5
Food: Our food was really good, but it was certainly expensive for what we got. This restaurant, above almost any other one in the parks, really charges you top dollar just for the privilege of dining in Disneyland. Still, we couldn’t complain about the quality of the food itself. 4/5

First Visit?: Yes
Will Return?: Definitely. I think this restaurant is such a staple of Disneyland, so I imagine we will be back for another special occasion sometime. I wish it were even slightly cheaper so we could go more often, but it will have to remain one of those restaurants that we go to when we have something to celebrate.

After a rough start, Tracy and I were really enjoying our anniversary evening together. Blue Bayou was great, and now we were in Disneyland. If there was a downside, it was the fact that it was another Grad Nite, so the crowds were getting pretty bad. We didn’t really have too many things we HAD to do this evening, but we did want to ride Pirates after having dined inside the attraction.

We went into the GAC line, and while we were waiting, at least five security cast members barged into the exit. They approached a couple of teens who appeared to be there for Grad Nite, and after several minutes of hushed conversation, they appeared to usher them out of the ride. I have no idea what those two did, but we were pretty excited to see some of the infamous grads get hauled off to “Disney jail.”

After riding pirates, Fantasmic! was starting on the Rivers of America. Of course it was far too crowded for us to actually sit and watch, but there was something we had been meaning to try for a few months now. We headed over to the Hungry Bear Restaurant and stood along the railing that looks out onto the water. As Fantasmic! went on, we suddenly saw the Columbia approaching once it had finished the Peter Pan scene. The ship docked at Tom Sawyer Island and all the performers came rushing off. I assume they had to quickly change costumes for the appearances they would make later in the show.

The same thing happened with the princess rafts after they had made their crossings, and before too long, it was already the end of the show. During the finale, the Mark Twain went by carrying all of the characters that ride aboard it.

As they passed the Hungry Bear, the twenty-some passengers were still fully in character, and they all waved at Tracy and me standing on the deck less than 20 feet away. It was really cool because we felt like we were getting our own little meet and greet with the entire cast of Fantasmic! Obviously, we didn’t get to see any of the show itself, but if you are ever looking for a unique place to have a totally different experience with Fantasmic!, I highly recommend heading over to the Hungry Bear.

Once the show was over, we decided to start making our way to the exit and headed home. Our night may not have gone completely smoothly, but we had a really fun time a Disneyland on our anniversary—can you ask for anything more?

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