Back in my early years at Disney World I really enjoyed dining regularly at two of the resort restaurants. Top Of The World (TOTW) and the Tangaroa Terrace. Although there is a new TOTW lounge now on top of the Bay Lake Towers which is elegant and nice, I still am partial to the Old TOTW that today is the California Grill on top of the A frame tower. In my early years, I purposely would get closing shifts and I regularly went to Sunday Brunch at TOTW which had character ice carvings on display, a large brunch selection, Champagne, and the infamous create your own strawberry shortcake dessert bar. What I had no way of knowing when I was 16 and started attending Sunday Brunch up there, is that one of the wonderful Cast Members that waited on me each time I went would become a good friend and one of my favorite bartender at California Grill today. Another bartender up there also started at the Polynesian pool bar when he was 19 in the 70s and I eventually met him tending the bar there, he went to the Tambu lounge and then he too eventually moved to TOTW. Together with other cast members who have worked up there for 30 years or more, we had deep conversations about the changes in the company. We all speculated together about the departure of Card Walker and the arrival of Michael Eisner, wondered about our futures in storming the Kingdom. We had farewell toast in memory of Frank Wells. We watched the Grand Floridian being built, motor coach terminals being built, Cinderella Castle become some sort of a birthday cake, several different TOTW costume changes, refurbishments, performing celebrities come and go, the end of the TOTW express elevator. I listened to my friends who work up there tell me about their families and kids grow up. We have seen the tough managers come and go, and in actuality, the bartenders up there make more money in a year than some company management and they deal with a third of the company political drama. It has been a unique place for me to call one of my local watering holes and I feel very comfortable when I roost up there. Tangaroa Terrace at the Polynesian was also one of my favorites on Friday nights. I use to always get the Teriyaki Steak dinner, and a Blue Mist drink. Back then the drinking age was 18 and of course I was grandfathered in at 19 and 21. And well lets just say I looked older for my age. Lol Again I had a favorite cast member who always took good care of us, and have pleasant memories of that place. Before they built the additional guest rooms you could have dinner at a table near the large picture windows and watch the Electrical Water Pageant while you dined. Unfortunately, the Tangaroa Terrace was eventually closed and the cast member who was an excellent waitress was sent to Papeete Bay Veranda. Both of these places were regular places for me to enjoy and I still sit at the California Grill lounge regularly today. Its just interesting as I have become older I had no idea at the time I would enjoy the TOTW so much. I know some of my friends reading this will remember going to these two places with me, and I hope they have the same pleasant memories I do.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 00:46:14 +0000
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