I hope you are ready for another year of Tokyo Disney resort adventures and mischief, because I just renewed my annual pass for another year. I'm excited to see where my Disney fandom will go from here.
Last year, I spent my birthday with a solo trip to Disney. I didn't grab a birthday sticker, and I didn't ask anyone to come along. I wanted to spend the day alone. It was my first trip as an annual pass holder, and that in itself made the day incredibly special. With that in mind, I was struggling to think of a way to make this year's birthday stand out. Thankfully, my friend Abi came to the rescue.
Cast members hand out and decorate a birthday sticker for you if you tell them it's your birthday. They didn't ask to see proof, so it's a good little hack if you want to feel like all eyes are on you during your stay at the park. Every cast member you meet will greet you with a cheerful HAPPY BIRTHDAY, characters will also notice and be all excited and happy for you. It's such a simple little customer service thing, but it's darn effective. It made my whole park visit more joyous and fun.
As we soon found out, it's also good to grab a sticker before you go to a table service restaurant at the parks. Our waitress certainly made a note of it. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself.
Abi, being the sneaky sneak that she is, hadn't told me that she'd booked us a table at The Blue Bayou for lunch. It's one of Tokyo Disneyland's fanciest dining options (if not the fanciest). And it was amazing.
The Blue Bayou is located inside The Pirates of the Caribbean, which is probably the ride that stands out in my mind as the most iconic Disneyland ride. The theme of the restaurant is a New Orleans style garden party, and I love the symbiosis of the room the restaurant is in. The setting of the ride and presence of boats going past give ambiance to the restaurant, while the restaurant and the restaurant goers help make the bayou come to life for the guests going off on their pirate adventures. It's perfect, and a wholly unique experience.
The restaurant is frozen in time at nightfall, it's a very dark environment, so unfortunately it can be difficult to get good pictures inside. The trade off is that you can go in for lunch, make a wish on a shooting star, and go back out and still get a couple of hours in the sun. Disney magic is the best kind of magic.
I had the Moonlight Course. You get to choose a starter, entrée, and a dessert. The course is served with unlimited bread and unlimited soft drinks.
My course ended up looking like this:
New Orleans style pumpkin cream soup with peanut butter
Pork grillé with light gravy
Pecan pie with vanilla ice cream
We also enjoyed The Blue Bayou's specialty non-alcoholic drink after the meal. Pineapple and peach juice with coconut sirup.
The meal was heavenly. The peanut flavour really came through in the soup, but the sweetness and creaminess was well balanced by an offering of pumpkin seeds and what seemed to be bacon bits on the side. I was worried the entrée was going to be a little boring, but I was blown away. The pork was infused with flavour. Super juicy. It was served with mashed potatoes (WOULD HAVE LOVED MORE MASHED POTATOES), asparagus, a mash of beans, and caramelised citrus peel covered in chilli flakes. The pecan pie was the perfect follow-up to the salty and spicy pork, AND IT CAME WITH A BIRTHDAY CHOCOLATE JUST FOR ME! They even lit a candle! The plate was decorated with a berry sauce G-clef as a reference to Walt Disney's love for jazz music. Very appropriate for the setting, I loved this detail – and the fact that the waitress pointed it out and explained it to us.
I think we ended up spending hours at The Blue Bayou. Enjoying the food, atmosphere, and company. And giggling at the kitschy souvenir coasters you can order with your specialty drink.
It lights up, you guys. Though in my excitement, I guess I forgot to take a picture of my drink actually on the coaster.
I do have a weak spot for merchandise that features illustrations or theming only found in the parks. I had no idea The Blue Bayou offered these coasters, and I guess Abi sensed my curiosity. She gifted me a matching set for my birthday (I've been using them every day since!).
It was a truly spectacular meal. I hope I'll have other reasons to celebrate or go on foodie dates at the park, because I can't wait to go back there.
A huge thanks to Abi for making my day so memorable! Go check out her stuff on YouTube, it's all super fun and adorable--!
