We arrived at Avalon Cove and put our name on the list. In its' original incarnation, this restaurant had been sponsored by Wolfgang Puck. We had lunch there once, and while the original seafood-based menu was just okay, we thought the Paradise Pier setting and overall ambiance was very, very nice.

Although the décor was still intact, the menu was now a fixed price/character greeting based affair, where for $12.99 you could get a three-course meal -- soup or salad, a main entree, and dessert. It didn't bowl us over, but we thought we would give it a try. Little did we realize, Puck had become yuck!

We waited about 15 minutes before our hostess walked us to our table on the outdoor patio. As she welcomed us, we all noticed that she had some very noticeable front teeth missing. It was very out of place for a Disney Cast Member - quite distracting and, sorry, a little bit gross. Certainly not the face that you want describing the lunch specials.

Our server approached, and after her standard "Hello-welcome-to-Avalon-Cove-my-name-is-[Your Name]-I'll-be-your-server-today" greeting, I said 'Happy Easter, how are you?' To which she replied, "Oh, I'm so tired. I partied way too much last night." And so it began.

Food-wise, I went with fish and chips, Megan had "Under the Sea" fish sticks, and Dianne chose the Easter special -- ham, mashed potatoes, and a vegetable. We also ordered a bottle of Mondavi Pinot Noir. [just for old times' sake]

So we sat on the patio on this bright sunny day and tried to soak up the atmosphere. But it was all very noisy, and chaotic. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, all dressed in cute white and blue sailor suits, entertained us while we waited. And waited. And waited. We had so much time, Megan had her picture taken with every character -- and Ariel.

Not that I'm complaining, but it was a long time to wait for Fish and Chips. And when they all started to dance a conga line to "Under the Sea" it became almost unbearable. A very long 15 minutes past, and even after our salads were finished, I reminded our server about the wine. "Oh, yeah. I forgot."

The wine did eventually arrive. And the meals served. And it was all fairly ordinary. In fact, the whole experience was summed up with dessert - a chocolate cake that looked pretty, and colorful, but was covered in lots of sauce, whipped cream and caramel corn, and was essentially just a recently thawed out, tasteless mush.

Just at that moment 'California Screamin' very loudly performed an emergency stop. Basically, the whole ride came to a screatching halt. After a few minutes, cast members began walking the track, and guests were evacuated. What a difference a year makes.