UPDATE 6/26- Didn't we just leave the Pacific Northwest? Wilderness Lodge AND AoA at Christmastime!

[TheRichFam]

Chapters
Intros/Background
A Bucket List Trip Come True ... With a New Significance
Some Parents Teach Kids Their ABCs. We Teach Ours Their ADRs.
A Split Decision

Edits: Added photos
Howdy everyone!

As crazy as this is to type, this is my first-ever PTR. Exciting times! After dozens of Disney trips, a couple Disney cruises and even a trip to Aulani, it's pretty insane that we haven't done a PTR before.

We are a Disney-fanatical family of six (we'll make formal introductions shortly) currently living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We've been in the Seattle area for almost 10 years. We are in the process of relocating all the way across the country (more on that later) so we are planning this trip as a much-needed respite after a very tumultuous year.

We're glad you're here to follow along. We love interacting with people on here, because let's be honest- talking to yourself is for crazy people. Feel free to ask any of us a question and we'd be thrilled to answer as best we can.

One more quick note before we get rolling.

My wife and I both have jobs that make a certain level of anonymity a necessary evil. Our names (obviously) are less than accurate.

Our Castmembers



Papa Rich- I'm originally from Florida, born and raised near Tampa. I'll do most the "talking," so unless we note otherwise, assume it's me who is posting. I was a castmember for a couple years many moons ago (at an attraction that no longer exists!) and also spent a couple years working as a travel agent at a Disney-exclusive Earmarked agency. I'd love to answer any questions you have, and since I don't work in the industry anymore, it won't get anyone in trouble! I spent more than a decade serving in the Marines and I recently transitioned into the homeland security sector.


Mama Rich- Originally from West Texas, she moved to Florida after her mom and stepdad visited on their honeymoon and fell in love with the place (because Florida!) We met in high school and have been together ever since. She is a therapist by trade, is a published author and owner of a thriving private practice. I owe much of this Disney addiction to her, because after years of me insisting on “WDW or Bust,” it was her insistence that led to branching out to DCL and Aulani. No going back now!



Skywalker- Our first man cub. He’s 15, but will be 16 when we make this trip. He has been going with us to Disney since he was too young to walk. He has been on DCL in Oceaneers Lab/Club, Vibe and Edge, so if you have any tweens or teens with questions, he’s all ears. (See what I did there?) The name comes from a conversation we had, where I was explaining to him why I’m basically Darth Vader. His response- “Well I guess that makes me Luke Skywalker.” (SPOILER ALERT)


Isn't Disembarkation day THE WORST?

Rose- Our oldest daughter. She is a newly minted Teenager and has been visiting the Land of Mouse since she was en utero. Literally. Watching her at Disney is one of my favorite things in the world. As soon as we get on Magic Express, she sheds her typical teenage persona and turns back into the sweet princess-loving little girl I miss so badly most of the time. She even calls me Daddy and (gasp) lets me hold her hand!



Belle- Our sweet (almost) 9 yr old princess-loving, Descendants-crazy dancing, singing daughter. All the world is her stage, so WDW and DCL are right up her alley. She’s gorgeous, loves reading and occasionally breaks out into song and dance for no particular reason. Plus, she really loves a big, grumpy hairy guy who secretly has a soft, squishy interior (that would be me). And thus- the name Belle.



The Lion- Rounding out our crazy band of pirates will be our newest addition, the Lion. He is 2 but will be three when we travel. This will be his first-ever trip to WDW, though he did tag along with Mama and I to Aulani last Summer. Since this is his first trip, much of our activities will be focused on and around him. He is brilliant, hilarious and constantly in motion. He loves animals and trucks more than anything on earth, so we’re hoping this trip will be right up his alley.

So that’s us. Having a teen boy, tween girl, elementary aged girl and toddler boy, we pretty much run the gamut over at Casa de Rich. Never a dull moment. We also happen to be a WDW Focus Group’s dream.

We’re happy to have you along. In the next post, we’ll talk about our resort choice and why we chose it.

Until next time-

Blessings!

TheRichFam

 

[TheRichFam]

A Bucket List Trip Come True … With a New Significance

Ahoy!


Thanks again for following along. I have to confess my motives for writing this thing are less than altruistic. I get a ton of benefit from writing, and DisBoards is a great outlet to do that. By following along and commenting you’re helping keep me sane, so thank you!


On we go.


As I mentioned last time, we have been in Seattle for more than a decade now. That has been tough, because our closest family is in Texas. For people who are as family oriented as we are, it has felt for much of the time like we’re on an island a million miles from nowhere. Other than a brief time where Mama Rich’s sister was stationed close by, we have been on our own for far too long. After a trip home to visit her family a while back, we decided it was officially time for a change. We needed to get closer. Her job is fairly portable, so it was up to me to find something closer to our people. That night, I saw a job posting for a position on the East Coast. While it isn’t exactly in the neighborhood, it is certainly a lot closer to our family. Still a plane ride, but a much shorter (and cheaper) one than from Seattle. I applied, and after a ridiculously long screening and background check, I was offered the position. I started the new job a while back, but the kiddos and Mama Rich still live in Seattle, which means I fly home every weekend. Bad for sleep, but really great for Skymiles. (For my fellow Delta fans, I hit Medallion status in 5 weeks. Do that math …)


We really wanted our kids to finish school with their friends before moving. After all, two of the kiddos were born in that area, and Skywalker was only 5 when we moved there! It’s the only “home” they’ve really known. After they finish in June and we sell our house, we will all FINALLY be back together in our new home on the other coast.


Can’t happen soon enough.


That being said, Mama Rich has had a bit of a thing for Wilderness Lodge since she visited there while “Resort hopping” with her brother and a friend a long time ago. Though she doesn’t remember the exact year, doing the math it has to have been fairly soon after they opened. She loves the look and feel of the lodge, and it has been at the top of her “One Day” list for as long as I’ve known her. We’ve never been able to swing it financially, and with young kids we usually favored moderates or values. We didn’t want to be “those people” dragging a sugar-intoxicated screaming whirlwind across a deluxe resort lobby mid-tantrum while Buffy and Chaz from Connecticut watched from afar, silently judging us from behind their ascots and smoking jackets. Or more realistically, I had nightmares that I would come around the corner into the lobby and find a young Skywalker eating his way through the living room of the Grand Floridian’s giant gingerbread house.


Hey, look- my imagination does this to me. This is why I married a therapist.


(Not really)


Anywho, when we started planning a trip to celebrate our move and decompress from all the stress this past year has thrown at us, we looked into FINALLY making WL a reality. Based on the military promotion, lower rates due to the DVC construction and a couple other factors, we were able to reserve two Courtyard rooms at Wilderness Lodge for the dates we wanted. So far, so good. The only thing we didn’t get was a bunkbed room for the kids. They weren’t available for our travel dates. Not a big deal. We’ll just ask if they’re available at check-in. The good news is, even if they aren’t, we’re SUPER stoked about the rooms we have.


So after 18 months of stress and being in flux, and a cross-country move, and a MAJOR career change for yours truly, along with tons of other stuff we won’t get into here, we’ll be spending a week in our “dream” resort … themed after the Pacific Northwest ... the very "home" we just left kicking and screaming.


Pretty neat, I think.


We chose the first week of December as our travel dates. This will be our fourth or maybe fifth time going that week. Simply put, it’s our favorite window. Low crowds, great deals, good weather, great rates, and best of all- the place is already in full-on Christmas mode. In all of our trips during that time, we have only had one small run-in with crowds. We were there the weekend New Fantasyland opened in 2012, so MK was pretty busy Monday and Tuesday. Other than that, it was great.


We’ll have five day Military Salute Park Hoppers. We will do one day in each park with one “catch all” day. We’ll also do one Resort/Disney Springs day. We’ll arrive on a Sunday and leave on Friday. We’re contemplating spending a couple days at Universal after our Disney time, or maybe (fingers crossed) jumping on a three-night Dream cruise out of Port Canaveral if it all works out. We won’t make that decision until sometime in early September.



That’s all subject to change, of course. Mama Rich is DYING to do dinner at Be Our Guest, so I’m Guessing (he he) that our reservation there—if we can get one—will determine which park we do on which day.


We’ll cover ADRs when we see each other again.


Until then, be nice to each other. It’s rough out there right now. A little kindness truly can go a long way.


Blessings!


TheRichFam

 

[snowwhite84]

What a fun family dynamic...you've got all the age ranges covered! You will love WL, especially in December. It is one of the most beautifully decorated resorts at the holidays.

Good luck with your BOG ADR. Still looking for one for our trip! (Fingers crossed)

 

[TheRichFam]

What a fun family dynamic...you've got all the age ranges covered! You will love WL, especially in December. It is one of the most beautifully decorated resorts at the holidays.

Good luck with your BOG ADR. Still looking for one for our trip! (Fingers crossed)

Thanks! We are over the moon excited about WL. It's going to be amazing.

And thanks so much for following along!

The ADR booking process was a bit ... um ... sketchy. Yeah, that's it. Sketchy. More on that in tomorrow's post.

 

[thumper*]

Followed you over from my PTR

I was a castmember for a couple years many moons ago (at an attraction that no longer exists!)

Oh you have my curiosity going.

I spent more than a decade serving in the Marines and I recently transitioned into the homeland security sector.

As an Army brat I thank you for your service to our country. Salute.

She is a therapist by trade, is a published author and owner of a thriving private practice

Oh my 4 kids too how does she fit it all in? Guessing it's lack of sleep. Dang she deserves a vacation.

Our first man cub

Too cute.

he’s all ears. (See what I did there?)

Love your humor.

She even calls me Daddy and (gasp) hold her hand!

Awe

She’s gorgeous, loves reading and occasionally breaks out into song and dance for no particular reason

Sounds like a delight.

He loves animals and trucks more than anything on earth, so we’re hoping this trip will be right up his alley.

Sounds like a Mater fan in the making. I think that's the truck from cars?

Loving your energy and humor can't wait to read more.

 

[thumper*]

I had nightmares that I would come around the corner into the lobby and find a young Skywalker eating his way through the living room of the Grand Floridian’s giant gingerbread house.

Well I couldn't blame him if he had.

Until then, be nice to each other. It’s rough out there right now. A little kindness truly can go a long way.

Amen

 

[TheRichFam]

Followed you over from my PTR


Oh you have my curiosity going.

As an Army brat I thank you for your service to our country. Salute.

Oh my 4 kids too how does she fit it all in? Guessing it's lack of sleep. Dang she deserves a vacation.

Too cute.

Love your humor.

Awe

Sounds like a delight.

Sounds like a Mater fan in the making. I think that's the truck from cars?

Loving your energy and humor can't wait to read more.

Thanks for following along with this experiment!

Attraction- Honey, I Shrunk the Audience at Epcot! I also augmented guest relations at AK during opening week.

Mama Rich- she's unbelievable. Really no clue how she manages it all by herself.

 

[fallonkendra]

Following along! Your children really cover all age brackets!

 

[MamaCoop]

Hello! Always glad to hear about military families (we have quite a bit in common!) I met my husband in the military then I got out and he is still in. We also have 4 crazies, DDs are going to be 16, 14 and 6 and DS will be 3. We are also going to be at the world at the same time and from the looks of your above chart we are close-ish in home bases (DCA for you, it would be BWI for us...if we weren't driving!). We are taking another military family with us.

I am very jealous of the WL stay... Value resorts for us!

It will definitely be a well deserved trip for you all! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[TheRichFam]

Hello! Always glad to hear about military families (we have quite a bit in common!) I met my husband in the military then I got out and he is still in. We also have 4 crazies, DDs are going to be 16, 14 and 6 and DS will be 3. We are also going to be at the world at the same time and from the looks of your above chart we are close-ish in home bases (DCA for you, it would be BWI for us...if we weren't driving!). We are taking another military family with us.

I am very jealous of the WL stay... Value resorts for us!

It will definitely be a well deserved trip for you all! Can't wait to hear more!

Welcome! Thank you for your service, and tell DH I said thank you to him as well.

Values are great. We have stayed at Pop Century and AoA, though I'd strongly argue AoA should not be on the Value list. Have y'all stayed at Shades of Green? We thoroughly enjoyed it and would probably still stay there every time if they honored the dining plan. Great location, beautiful resort, huge rooms ... we love it. We still usually stop by when we're at WDW regardless of where we stay to go to the PX and get the Military and Mickey items you can only get at that location.

(Plus the cheap alcohol. But we won't talk about that since this is a family blog!)

Glad you're here!

 

[TheRichFam]

Following along! Your children really cover all age brackets!

They do. For that reason, DCL is an amazing option for us, but we decided we're gonna hold out until the Lion is potty trained before doing another cruise so he can go to the clubs.

Thanks for following along!

 

[MamaCoop]

Welcome! Thank you for your service, and tell DH I said thank you to him as well.

Values are great. We have stayed at Pop Century and AoA, though I'd strongly argue AoA should not be on the Value list. Have y'all stayed at Shades of Green? We thoroughly enjoyed it and would probably still stay there every time if they honored the dining plan. Great location, beautiful resort, huge rooms ... we love it. We still usually stop by when we're at WDW regardless of where we stay to go to the PX and get the Military and Mickey items you can only get at that location.

(Plus the cheap alcohol. But we won't talk about that since this is a family blog!)

Glad you're here!

Thank you for yours as well!

We have not stayed at SOG yet. I have been in there to get tickets before and thought it was beautiful so I would love to stay there. Hopefully we will have some time to check out the PX on this trip! (I hear you on the cheap goods!)

 

[TheRichFam]

Some Parents Teach Kids Their ABCs. We Teach Ours Their ADRs.


Hola.


Before we get rolling, I have some fun news.


I found a list of the music tracks used at Wilderness Lodge for their music loop over on a different board. I verified it a couple places and it looks like it is mostly accurate. I was pleasantly surprised to find that all but four of the songs are on Spotify! I made a playlist called “Wilderness Lodge Music Loop.” If you’re similarly obsessive like I am and want to listen to the sounds of WL, search for it on Spotify. If you can’t find it, comment below with your Spotify username and I’ll “share” it with you. It’s not 100% accurate, but it’s pretty darn close.


Moving on.


As you have probably guessed, I’ve been writing past tense thus far. Kinda in a suspended animation state between past and present. How very “meta” for a trip report, right?

Anywho, our ADR window actually opened on June 6, and our reservations have been made. BUT … with this being a PRE trip report, I’ll keep pretending that these things haven’t happened yet. Just don’t tell anyone, ok? I have a reputation to preserve.


A couple important notes-


Mama Rich has a gluten allergy. Not celiac’s, just a gluten allergy. The big issue there is that she spent the first 30 or so years of her life without a gluten sensitivity of any kind, so she knows what good bread and pizza taste like. That being the case, she’s pretty hard to please when it comes to gluten free products. I mention that to say- if she says something is delicious, it probably is.


Also, we are foodies. Like … big time. We LOVE going out to eat and often judge the quality of a trip or experience based on the food. I’m a little more adventurous when it comes to ingredients, trying new things, etc. However, we both love stumbling on little hidden gems here and there.


Here’s my (perhaps overly complicated) method


Me, Mama Rich (MR), Skywalker, Rose and Belle all made a list of our “Top Five” ADRs we want in order of preference. Then we made one big master list. It looked something like this:




Here’s the thing.


When all three of my girls put “Be Our Guest Dinner” at the top of their dream sheet, the list may as well have looked more like this:





No pressure.


With BOG Dinner being the hardest table service to get on property, I knew I needed to start there first. Being able to get a table there would determine which day we were at MK. The problem with that is we are pretty set on doing MK on our first day in Orlando. I know we’re not alone in this, but for us it doesn’t really feel like we’re “at Disney” until we walk right down the middle of Main Street USA.


Raise your hand if you just sang that last line to yourself.


That being said, our best chance of getting a BOG ressie was to shoot later in the week because with an arrival date on Sunday, getting a table for Monday in a window that had already been open for a week seemed unlikely. Also, with four kids we are not fans of hopping just for a dinner reservation. From Epcot to Beach Club or MK to a monorail resort is one thing. We’re not about to load up everyone to go from AK to MK just to eat at BOG and then turn around to go back. That’s a gigantic waste of time unless you’re in the parks for several days.


As the ADR Date approached, I called Disney Dining to get clarity on a couple things. For one, when I played with the app to get familiar with the booking process (this is the first time I’ve booked on the app), I was literally never able to find anything at Akershus. Like … never. That seemed really weird to me. Also, I was getting conflicting info on when my ADR window actually opened. I was told June 1, June 4 and June 6 from three different castmembers. Clearly I needed the right answer.


While I spoke to the dining CM, she told me (a) she had no clue why I couldn’t see any availability at Akershus and (b) my date was June 6. We also chatted about my desired restaurants and she told me that Whispering Canyon has become increasingly difficult to get reservations for. That seemed unlikely to me, but what do I know?


So … after weighing all the options, the order of attack looked like this:

• BOG (D)
• Chef Mickey (B) (we wanted this on MK morning, so the BOG ressie would effectively set this one too)
• Akershus (B)
• Sanaa (D)
• Kona Café (B)
• WC (B)
• WC (D)
• Mama Melrose (D)

Hooray! A plan!


Now then.


Remember how TheRichFam is currently separated by a great amount of land? Me on the east coast and the rest of the crew in the Seattle area? That seemed to be a benefit in this situation. No need to wake up crazy early to do the ADRs, because I’d be on East Coast time!!! Can I get a high five for efficiency?


Notsomuch.


I actually ended up in Seattle that weekend getting our house ready to put on the market. That meant a 2:45 AM wake-up call. Seems crazy, I know. But there’s no chance I’m getting BOG (D) if I wait until later than that and it’s not super likely either way.


Plus, Mama wants BOG (D). So that’s happening.


2:45 rolls around and I’m all smiles.

^^^ Live footage from the Kitchen ^^^


I have my app in one hand, my spreadsheet plan in the other and my laptop on standby in case of any shenanigans. Right at 3 AM, I used the My Disney Experience app to try to book BOG (D). I started with Friday. Nothing. Thursday? Nothing. Wednesday? Nothing.


You get the picture.


I was crushed. How could there be literally ZERO dinner reservations that far in advance at the second our booking window opened?


I moved on to Akershus, since Chef Mickey was connected to BOG on MK Day.


Here we go again.


Nothing. No breakfast space at Akershus on any day for the entire week.


Now I’m slightly north of upset.

I’m now working against muscle memory, because everything in my body is encouraging me to go all Wreck it Ralph on my cellphone. Not the best plan because (a) I have more reservations to make and (b) it’s like 3:06 in the morning and there are four kids and a mama bear sleeping upstairs.


Onward.


We wanted Sanaa at sunset and we hope to get a window seat. We had a window seat back when I ran the Disney Marathon in ’14 but by then it was too dark to see outside. I had Googled the sunset times and knew that 7:45 was about the time to shoot for. We got 7:15. Perfect.


FINALLY. I got one! I took a brief break from plotting the demise of the MDE app to commemorate the moment.

Based on park hours and other planning considerations, I ended up making a mid-stream decision to just make Monday (day 1) our AK day. I figure with Pandora, plus the EMH that day, waiting until later to do MK wouldn’t be the end of the world. Plus, the rest of the reservations that needed to be made were dependent on which park we’d be at on that particular day. So I just decided to stick with our original plan:


Sunday- Arrive/Check-in/Resort/Pool
Monday- AK
Tuesday- MK
Wednesday- Resorts/Disney Springs
Thursday- EC
Friday- HS


With that in mind, Kona was next. We’re doing that on the morning of Animal Kingdom. I hoped for something a little earlier than we got, but what we ended up with is pretty ok.


Remember when the Dining CM said Whispering Canyon is hard to get these days? She wasn’t kidding. By now the window had been opened for less than 20 minutes and the earliest breakfast was 9:20. That’s perfect for resort day. BUT … the earliest dinner for arrival day was at 8:10. That’s crazy! I took it, but we’ll try to bump to an earlier reservation once we get there. Mainly because that’s super late to eat with young kids (ahem … Disney Cruise Line 2nd seating) . Also because WC is all-you-can-eat amazingness, and I need some gut room for Kona Breakfast less than 12 hours later. Can I get a witness?


I easily knocked out the final ADR at Mama Melrose’s and was totally done by shortly after 6:30.


Something didn’t feel right. What I got was great, but I didn’t get either of the “big ticket” reservations I hoped for even though I was on it right when the window opened. I made myself a Chemex of coffee (because Seattle) and relaxed until 7.


Right at 7 EST (4 AM Local) I called the dining line. I told the cast member I spoke with what had happened with both BOG(D) and Akershus. She did some digging and relatively immediately solved the first problem. She told me that there are three nights of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party the week we are there, which greatly shortens the booking window for those nights. For a reservation that’s already hard to get, this just makes it harder. The reservations were available, but not to the booking public because technically you need a MVMCP Ticket to stay in the park that late. She checked with the manager to be sure we will be allowed to stay for the reservation with tickets. That's a big affirmative! We're in! She happily made us a reservation for 6:25, only it says “Be Our Guest at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.”


Number One Request? DONE.

Then she went to work on Akershus. After doing some digging, she came back and told me that the reason there aren’t any Akershus reservations available right now for those dates is because the Candlelight Processional dates are about to be released, so the Epcot restaurants are holding back space at all three seating times to use for the package. That was super helpful to know. We wanted to go to CP anyway, but were going to use the San Angel Inn reservation for the package. Now we can use the Akershus reservation for the CP seating when they come out and use the SAI reservation to be close to Illuminations.


At this point I was frantically searching through the house to find a microphone just so I could do a 4 AM Mic Drop in the living room. I couldn’t find one (shocker) so I ended up high fiving myself again.


So there you have it! After a few ups and downs we got basically everything we wanted except for Akershus, which we’ll book when the CP lineup is announced in the weeks ahead. Here's what the final matrix looks like on our planner.




Wow. This post got long in a hurry.


That’s all for now. Next time we’ll talk a little about some of the highs and lows for Gluten Free eating on property. Hopefully our experience will be helpful to others.


Until Next Time-


Be good to each other.


Blessings.
TheRichFam

 

[laraashley4]

Following along! We will be there the same week. I think our only day that may line up is Epcot on Thursday. This is our very first trip and I have loved the planning so far.

 

[TheRichFam]

Welcome! Take full advantage of this community. We have always found great advice and suggestions from our fellow DISers. Specifically, if you have any questions about anything at all, please feel free to ask. Someone over here in this crazy family will be happy to help you out.

 

[thumper*]

We LOVE going out to eat and often judge the quality of a trip or experience based on the food.

Us too.

DH and I made a Chocolate flourless sugar free cake last night. Oh yum. Doesn't sound good but it is. She may want to just google the recipe if she doesn't already have one. I'm pretty sure it's gluten free.

 

[TheRichFam]

Us too.

DH and I made a Chocolate flourless sugar free cake last night. Oh yum. Doesn't sound good but it is. She may want to just google the recipe if she doesn't already have one. I'm pretty sure it's gluten free.

That actually sounds amazing! I found the recipe for the gluten-free chocolate souffle that they serve on Disney Cruise Line in Palo. I have made it a few times and when it comes out well, it is amazing. They even include the recipe for both sauces! I will be happy to post it if anyone wants it. It is a lot of work, and not easy at all, but definitely worth the effort.

 

[thumper*]

They even include the recipe for both sauces! I will be happy to post it if anyone wants it. It is a lot of work, and not easy at all, but definitely worth the effort.

I would be interested in that recipe. I'm pretty good at cheese soufflés, though I've never made a chocolate one.

 

[TheRichFam]

I would be interested in that recipe. I'm pretty good at cheese soufflés, though I've never made a chocolate one.

Here you go!

Chocolate Soufflé
Serves 6

3 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing the soufflé cups
6 tablespoons sugar, plus more for dusting the soufflé cups
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose gluten-free flour (*** Note: we have used every GF flour known to man, and we swear by Cup for Cup. It is by far the best ***)
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa
2 ounces (2/3 cup) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted
4 eggs, separated

Vanilla Sauce (recipe follows)

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Set a full kettle of water on to boil.
• Butter six 4-ounce soufflé cups and coat with sugar; set aside.
• Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan; meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cocoa to the butter and beat with a whisk to a smooth, paste-like consistency. Reduce heat and cook for 1 minute.
• Slowly add the hot milk, whisking until smooth, then blend in melted chocolate. Let cool for 5 minutes, then stir in egg yolks.
• Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until frothy. Slowly add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff, glossy peaks form. Stir a heaping spoonful of egg whites into the chocolate, then fold in the remaining whites just until combined.
• Pour the batter into prepared soufflé cups. Place cups in a large baking dish and add enough boiling water to reach halfway the sides of the soufflé cups.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Serve immediately, with warm vanilla sauce.

Vanilla Sauce

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/4 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3 tablespoons sugar
2 small egg yolks

• Bring cream and vanilla bean to a low boil in saucepan over medium heat.
• Combine sugar and egg yolks.
• Add 2 spoonfuls of boiling cream to egg mixture and stir well, then pour back into the remaining cream and continue to cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly.

This recipe was emailed to us after our second cruise. It came from DCL, so I have to assume it's pretty accurate. We've made it a few times and when it comes out, it's perfection. It doesn't always come out though, because soufflés are finicky little creatures. They're the Menehune of the culinary world!

 

[thumper*]

Thanks for the recipe. The Vanilla cream sounds delicious too.
You have a beautiful family. I'm sure Skywalker probably already has the girls falling all over him.