Friday, December 23rd
We opted to Uber to Capone’s Dinner & Show again this trip
, so that Steve could enjoy as many of the included beverages as he wanted without having to worry about driving. Uber has worked spectacularly for us on previous visits, and pick-up again this time was swift and timely
. We were dropped off at the entry door of Capone’s exactly 5 minutes before the doors opened to VIP guests at 6 pm.
Precicely at 6 o'clock (I love it when people are prompt!
), one of the resident gangsters came outside to distribute tickets and give us the secret code which would grant us entry to the lounge and dining room. As each party entered, mug shots were taken by Capone’s staff before we were ushered upstairs to the second floor for the pre-show entertainment in the Two Deuces Lounge. We strolled over first to the bar (for our complimentary beverage
, one of the inclusions with the VIP upgrade) and were immediately greeted by Vito, one of the memorable servers from our first visit in October. He shouted a hearty welcome to us, then stopped…..looked again
, and yelled HEY! I remember you guys! My friends from Canada!
I have to say, we were rather impressed
. Considering the volume of people he would see each week, we were shocked that he remembered us specifically. That’s pretty awesome.
Vito chatted away enthusiastically with us as he poured our drinks, entertaining us with his big personality as he did on our first visit two months prior. Much as we could have enjoyed sitting down and continuing the animated conversation, there was other fun to be enjoyed in the VIP lounge so we moved onward to the hot snacks that were located next to the gambling tables: cheese and pepperoni pizzas, nachos and cheese, French fries, onion rings, and popcorn. We both helped ourselves to a small plate, but kept it to a minimum knowing that a veritable Italian feast would be served in less than 90 minutes.
We headed over to the gambling tables (“gambling” is a free perk for VIP guests, with each person being given an initial 5 chips to participate in either blackjack or roulette) and ran into our second grand welcome of the night: our friend Snaps.
Oh My God! You’re back! My friends from Canada!
Again, we were floored
…..and more than a little impressed. We’re not exactly what I would call “memorable” people
, so this really made us smile.
Snaps was working the blackjack table that night, so we sat down in two empty chairs and joined the others who had decided to play. I had never played blackjack before, but Snaps was happy to explain the concept and walk me through the first couple of hands (making my first play a free one, unless I won, in which case he promised me the winning chips). I ended up catching on pretty quickly and lady luck was definitely on my side
. By the time the VIP hour had come to a close and it was time to begin seating us in the dining room, I was second behind the overall winner by one single chip. I may have missed out on the Grand Prize t-shirt, but I felt like a winner nonetheless!
We were taken down to our table and offered the first of many beverages that we would drink that night.
Thank goodness for Uber!!!
Our seats this time were dead center of the stage, but much further back. We had requested that we be placed near some Dis friends who were also joining us for the fun that evening, but who had opted to forego the VIP upgrade. While most of the VIP seating is directly alongside the stage, there are also a few that are not. This allowed us to be within chatting distance of
@greenclan67 (Carrie), her husband Derek, and their other friends who came along
.
It really would have been a shame to have not been able to laugh and visit with them throughout the night!
We headed to the buffet for the first round of homecooked deliciousness, and were immediately glad we limited the amount of snacks in the VIP lounge. The smells emanating from the buffet stations were enough to kick start the salivary glands. Let me tell ya, Mama Capone knows how to cook!!
There was lasagna, meatballs, mashed potatoes and gravy, sage stuffing, different types of pasta, a selection of salads, freshly baked rolls, hot vegetables, freshly baked pizza, and a carving station that featured a massive turkey, roast beef, and stuffed pork loin. There were several kid friendly options (chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, etc.) and I’m pretty sure there was also a fish dish or two. As a finicky eater by nature, I absolutely *adore* this buffet. Everything is so darn good.
As we dug into our dinner, a few of the characters from the show began milling about and stopping by tables to interact with guests. Not surprisingly, Steve ended up with a pretty girl fawning all over him
……it seems to be a recurring theme
. He swears it’s the bald head effect
. And as usual, he quite enjoyed all the extra attention
.
Once the non-VIP guests had all been seated and everyone had been granted the uninterrupted opportunity to make at least one trip through the buffet line, the show kicked off in a flurry of singing, dancing, and corny jokes.
While this show incorporated a holiday overlay for the Christmas season, it still kept audience participation as an integral (and entertaining) part of the night. Some poor guests were less than enthused about being whisked from their seats to the stage, but their hesitance only made it funnier
.
Or, maybe it was all the alcohol?
Meh, who cares?
The “holiday overlay” turned out to be pretty minimal, and the script was largely unchanged from the show that we saw in October. That was a-okay with us, as we really enjoyed the show in the fall and it was great to see it a second time (and the Christmassy touches they did incorporate were perfect for the season).
Round two was just as funny as the first time. Most of the actors and actresses were different from the October show (the exception being the amazing gentleman who played Fingers Salvatorio…..his personality stole the show the first time, and easily did so again on this night!) so while it was essentially the same script, it was quite different in many ways.
Near the end of the show, the servers began tossing some balls into the crowd. While baseball has never been one of my finer skills (and I’m definitely not known for being overly coordinated at the best of times) I somehow
managed to catch one. Perhaps it does pay to be one of the few sober folks at the end of the night
.
I turned in the ball to the gangster working the bar, and he handed me a little Capone’s gift pack: it was filled with an assortment of little trinkets from the gift shop including a pen, post cards, a plastic fedora, a drink cozy, and a bracelet.
The final bow was taken right around 10 pm, to a well-deserved round of applause.
We stuck around for a little bit, chatting it up some more with Vito and Snaps (we seriously can’t say enough good about those two……not only are they amazing servers who really make the night at Capone’s memorable and special, but they are just two fine fellows all the way around) and conversing with Carrie and Derek. We beckoned our Uber around 10:30……I think we were literally among the last to leave. Steve promised Vito and Snaps we would see them again in the spring, and we would hold true to that promise
.
We had another excellent Uber driver shuttle us back to the Vistana, where we fell into bed and slept soundly right through to morning. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and our travel day back to the frosty north. But first, we’d have a little time in the parks and one final epic dining experience to cap off an amazing vacation…..because every great trip should start and end with ice cream
.
Our final full day is next.