Loweschevy's Trip Report October 3-12th

[Loweschevy]

Polynesian trip report and notes from October 3-12th 2009!

We checked into the Polynesian the 3rd around noon. We drove over from Universal property with ease. It was Saturday so there was not much traffic. The lobby was busy-many guests checking and others awaiting the dreaded return trip on the Magical Express. I thought it would be 30 minutes or so. Luckily, the concierge staff was assisting with the check-ins and about 10 minutes later we had our passes and off to grab some lunch. The room was not ready and we opted to have a text message notification when it was ready. The place was hopping, but we were seated within a few minutes. The food and service were good.

Much to our surprise the room was ready around 12:30 PM! I made my way to the room and my parents opted to move the car to the other lot nearest the Tahiti building, where the room was located. I snapped these photos before they arrived.





The bathroom


We received as requested our ground floor room in the Tahiti building with a lovely Magic Kingdom view room-1022! We prefer a ground floor room, yes occasionally you do get noisy upstairs neighbors, but we really enjoy the patio on the ground floor. We settled in, unpacked the clothes and made a trip to the grocery store for some goodies. We had a few minor hiccups-we needed some more hangers, hand towels and the safe was shut so we had to call maintenance. No more problems, everything arrived eventually.

Check out these photos and room views

BLT is tucked behind The Contemporary



The Tahiti building is our favorite longhouse. It is close to the TTC, making it a quick journey and return from Epcot. This is one of the main reasons we prefer the Polynesian over the Grand Floridian because we go to Epcot most of the time. The double vanities make it a little faster getting ready in the morning. I can fix my hair while DM is brushing her teeth for instance. Being on the outskirts of the resort, this building tends to be more quiet for our liking. The cons to the Tahiti building are its distance from the Great Ceremonial House and Captain Cooks, but it’s really only a short walk away.

Mousekeeping was spot on for the duration of the trip. Only one time we return at like 12:00 PM and the room had not been finished. I think it was a big check in day so they rush to get the checkouts done first. She left plenty of towels and washcloths each day. The room was always neat and tidy when we returned. We also clean up after ourselves a bit though too.
Here is a towel Mickey head


We ended up having to do laundry twice during the trip. The one beef I have with the Polynesian is their laundry room. There is no bathroom nearby. The room is pretty darn small. There are always 2-3 machines out of order. The change machine is out of quarters just about every time we go year to year. There was like zero air condition and no circulation. I know they are not in business to provide laundry facilities, but the place is a money maker, clean it up a bit at least. Most people have to do a little laundry while on vacation and we do not all stay at villas.

I guess my other beef would be the layout of the second floor of the GCH. You always have to fight your way through the crowds of people waiting for breakfast at O’hana to reach the Kona Café. Both stairways are at the same end of the building meaning you either walk through the crowds of seated people or try to fight your way around the strollers parked outside and then turn the corner to see a huge line of people flowing from the monorail station. It is great that the place is busy, but two restaurants that close crank up the noise factor.

A few nights that the parks were open late-after 11 PM, the neighbors came back and were a little noisy, but nothing outrageous. For the most part we were asleep by 10:00 PM! I know, I know, we are such party animals. J We never went swimming even thought it was mid 90s every day, just plum tuckered out most of the time.

We enjoyed breakfast many mornings at the Kona Café. The food and service were great each morning. We were off to the parks within 40 minutes or less on average. We also visited Captain Cooks for breakfast one morning and lunch another day.

Overall we had a fantastic time. We were assigned a room that fit our requests-always a bonus. Our room was beautiful and cleaned well each day.

Aside from the monorail you can hop on the boat at the launch in front of the marina and the Volcano pool. When you leave from the Polynesian you head directly to the Magic Kingdom, on the return trip it stops first at the Grand Floridian, then returning to the Polynesian. It is a pleasant 5 minute trip and the boat holds about 24-28 people from what I could tell. It is a nice alternative when leaving the MK to get back to the Polynesian a little faster. You can always walk over to the TTC for a faster trip to Epcot or also take the ferry to the MK if it strikes your fancy. This was a longer visit for us, so we took advantage of both ferries.

A view from the TTC ferry boat
One day we saw a hawk perched up on a third floor balcony

[Loweschevy]

Sunday October 4th
Our first full day and what a better way to spend it than at the Magic Kingdom. We had breakfast at Kona Café and got to the MK about 15 minutes before rope drop. The crowd was fairly large, but we were up front. Immediately after rope drop we went towards Adventureland to ride Pirates of the Caribbean.


After that we headed for Frontierland to ride Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. We practically walked on both rides and did Big Thunder twice. We ended up in the front seats on Splash and got totally soaked, luckily it was like 90 degrees our so we dried out pretty quick. We wandered through the shops in Frontierland and made our way to the Haunted Mansion, which also was pretty dead, if you know what I mean .


Taken from the Liberty Bell

Fantasyland was next and we rode It’s a Small World, Snow White’s Scary Adventure and the Teacups. We picked up fast passes for Peter Pan also. The lines were longer here as expected. I think the new expanded Fantasyland is a great idea. The area is congested all of the time because it has the most attractive and fun rides for little children. The addition of the Little Mermaid ride and higher capacity Dumbo, there ought to be more breathing room and hopefully lesser wait times.

Next we strolled down to Tommorowland to admire the construction zone. No, haha we grabbed fast passes for Buzz Lightyear, rode it and then hopped on the TTA. The TTA was apparently debuting its new audio for the first time today, not a big fan. Space Mountain was lit up, but the walls were high so there was not much to be seen at the time. We exited and used our Buzz fast pass and backtracked to The Magic Carpets of Aladin, then it was time for lunch.

It was shortly after 11:30 AM and the lines were quite long at the Columbia Harbor House. A CM was directing people into lines, but they still move slowly. I do not know why people cannot be decided on what they are going to eat before it is time to order the food. The menus are not large and there are lovely pictures to see the items. We received our food and went upstairs. It was nice and pleasant, only a few tables were taken. I had the fish and chicken, DM went with just chicken and DF the tuna sandwich. I love the food and atmosphere at CHH. I also like watching the crowds below from the windows.

After lunch, we decided to call it a day. We did not want to over do it because the temperature was in the mid 90s. We forgot about Peter Pan of course, but made our way through the shops on Main Street. We got on the monorail and went back to the room for a break from the sun.

That night we dined at Citricos in the Grand Floridian.

[Loweschevy]

On the 5th, we stopped at Kona Café for breakfast then made our way to the TTC for the monorail to Epcot. By the time we arrived at 8:50 AM, guests were on their way to TT and The Land. We headed straight for Soarin, grabbed fast passes and hopped in line because the wait was only 15 minutes. After riding, The Land ride had no wait, so off we went. I didn’t really notice much of a change from the refurbishment, but it peaceful as usual.

It was around 9:45 AM and we made our way to Test Track. By that time and hour had passed so we grabbed fast passes. DM had a problem with the machine and we had to wait for the attendant to help us. The stand by line was reading 15 minutes.

On the way back to Soarin, we wandered through Mouse Gears to check out the new merchandise. The standby line for Soarin was now 20 minutes, still not bad for after 10:00 AM. After Soarin the crowds began to arrive and The Land ride had a huge line spiraling through the Sunshine Seasons seating area.

While riding Test Track, there was some sort of malfunction causing the cars to stop for several minutes. We were on the incline area past the corrosive, heat and cold chambers. I am pretty glad we did not get stuck in the heat chamber . By that time it was 11:00 AM and time to head for the World Showcase!

We hit the small kiosk store on the walkway between Future World and World Showcase to purchase the handy gift card that can be worn on your wrist. That is a great idea-it beats having to search for cash and handling money before touching your food. Every time you charge the receipt provides a running balance left on the card.

Starting in Canada, I ordered the spicy sausage with sweet corn polenta. It was a great dish, but I needed a bottle of water real quick. We grabbed a cheese plate from Cork, but it took a while because the cashier botched the transaction. The cheese portions were huge and enough to share between the three of us. We perused the shops in France and decided to bypass the escargot.


Spicy chicken sausage



After France we strolled to Morroco, where I got a falafel pita pocket to munch on. We snagged an empty table to take a little break as well. It was quite tasty although all of the dressing and salad was on one side and the dry falafel on the other, so getting a well balanced bite was a bit of a challenge.


We were more on a food mission than a shopping spree. No one was in the mood for sushi in Japan, but I did get a Lobster roll near the American Adventure. The lobster roll was tasty, but a little dry-some more dressing would have gone a long way. We went to Italy for some cannelloni. It was very cheesy and rich. I cannot say I would order it again however.




For dessert, it was apple streudel time in Germany. It is served with vanilla sauce. The streudel is a little difficult to cut through, but it tasted very good.


We made our way back through the World Showcase so I could continue to take pictures of the food & wine booths. Maelstrom was down at the time. We went inside to cool down, shopped and rode The Three Caballeros. It is cute, but I really miss El Rio Del Tiempo. By now we were pretty tired and it was after 4:00 PM, so we went back to the room for a little rest before dinner.

When we left the crowds were still not too bad. The line waits were around 30-45 minutes for Soarin and Test Track. For dinner we were off to Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge.

[Loweschevy]

October 6th, DHS

I wanted to make rope drop at DHS, so we grabbed a quick breakfast at Captain Cook’s. My parents had cereal, but I opted for the breakfast sliders. They were a bit dry, but tasty. We hopped in the car and drove over to the park. Of course we were stuck parking all the way to one side of the lot, but it beats waiting for the bus. The rope drop crowd was pretty impressive, the exact reason I wanted to get here early.

The majority of the crowd headed toward Pixar Place for Toy Story Mania. I jumped in line for fast passes, which took forever. Some people are just plain clueless, I know they may have never done it before, but ask for help-there is always an attendant there. They keep jamming the same ticket in there or do not wait long enough for the ticket to come out. Another observation is that people with paper tickets seem to have the most problems. The stand by line was only 15 minutes, so we agreed to get in line as well.

After that, the line had grown to about 30 minutes standby- still pretty good in my opinion. The Green Army men were out interacting with guests as they walked by and waited in line. The fast passes were being distributed for around 11:00 AM now.

Since the wait for TSM was not too long, we had to wait to grab more fast passes; however, we practically walked on Tower of Terror and had a very random wild ride. We walked over to Rock and Roller Coaster and obtained fast passes for later. The stand by wait time was around 20 minutes at that point.


We cut through the villains shop to cool off and check out the merchandise. Starring Rolls Bakery was jamming and many guests were grabbing breakfast. We rode the Great Movie Ride…yawn. Our tour guide was not very convincing. P.S. when are they going to change this thing? It has been the same for like what 20 years now! We went back to TSM and rode again. Now the standby line was around 45 minutes and the fast passes were going for around 12:30-1:00 PM. Most of the guests present and arriving by 10:30-11:00 AM were probably getting their fast passes by now, so not too bad time wise.

We had an adr for Mama Melrose at 12:05 PM and on the way we rode Star Tours. The wait was about 5 minutes and we practically walked on.


Crowds were still light as we left early afternoon

Mama Melrose’s had just opened up at 12:00 PM so the servers began to seat people. We dined on flatbreads and salads for lunch. Again you can see how our experience was in my dining review below. After lunch we were ready to hit the shops on the way out and head back for some rest. We had dinner at Tony’s Town Square at 5:00PM before the MNSSHP.

MNSSHP was a blast. Last year was our first year and I feel it is worth the cost for us. Even though we are all adults, just the time you have in the park with a limited number of guests is awesome. The candy lines were not long-yes we got candy! We walked on basically every ride we wanted to. We were on Main Street for the 1st parade and only had to stand behind one line of people sitting on the curb after it started-the view was great. We watched Hallowishes from Toon Town and hit a few more rides. By then we were beat and ready for bed!

[Loweschevy]

October 7th, Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom is another place where driving to is a bit easier than waiting for the bus. We made it over just a few minutes after rope drop and immediately headed for Expedition Everest. The stand by time was only 5 minutes, so DF and I grabbed fast passes and hopped in line. DM decided to sit this one out since her experience with The Mummy a few days prior . You have to love the queue-some much to look at as you wait in line. We rode, she shopped. Afterwards we made our way through Asia and into Africa to check out Kilamanjaro Safaris. The stand by time was about 35 minutes. Today was a bear-with the real feel temps well over 100 degrees, we decided to grab some beverages and cool off before we could get fast passes for KS.

As we were on our way back to Asia, Devine (sp?) was out walking around and I snapped some photos. We had never seen her out, so it was pretty sweet.



After riding EE, we did some shopping in the store. They always have really cool stuff here-different stuff. We also stopped by a little shop up near Kali River Rapids that had t-shirts, lucky pendants-key tags etc., scarves and some items with the Buddha. It was time to ride Kilamanjaro Safari then. We had a really great tour guide-probably the best I have heard. The animals were not too active, but I did get some nice photos.




It was blazing hot and we had completed our attraction mission. We headed back towards the Oasis, hitting the shops along the way. People were just arriving for the day around 11:30 AM-boy that was going to be a long hot day for them. AK has like the least amount of air conditioned attractions.

We actually had to pick up a few things outside the world, so we made way for The Florida Mall. We stopped at Chilis for lunch and hit a bookstore. Afterwards we came back to the room rested and went to Epcot later. For dinner we dined at the Yachtsman Steakhouse

[Loweschevy]

October 8th, DTD & Epcot

On Thursday we decided to hit DTD early because with the upcoming holiday weekend, the place was just going to be a madhouse at night. We took the monorail to the Grand Floridian for breakfast at the GFC. I always enjoy this place, so bright and airy. The food is not much different from the Kona Café, but the change in atmosphere is pleasant.



After a leisurely breakfast we got back on the monorail and headed for the Contemporary. We hit Fantasia and Bay View Gifts for some goodies and gifts. I walked out to get a few pictures of our new home- Bay Lake Tower. I checked the menu at the Contempo Café and admired the new LCD type screens with the items and pictures. We made our way back to the Polynesian to drop off our stuff and grab the car keys.





Downtown Disney was surprisingly busy for the time of day, I guess other people had the same good idea. It was lunch time, so mainly the restaurants were packed. We stopped at the World of Disney and took advantage of the $20 shipping and had some items send home. We perused Team Mickey Athletics and TrenD before heading the toy store.

We ate at lunch at Wolfgang Puck Café. The new setup is kind of neat, a little confusing. It had been 4 years or so since dining there last-definitely before the refurbishment years ago. I had the same pizza from the other night and it was just as good! The food was quite good for counter service.

Later that evening we ate dinner at Il Mulino in the Swan.

[Loweschevy]

October 9th, DHS & Epcot

The resort was noticeably more crowded by now and we figured the park crowds would be out in full force. The next day was EMH morning at DHS and we wanted to ride TSM at least once more, so we decided to head over after breakfast. The fast pass line was even long and it stretched to the Narnia walk through! It took about 10 minutes and we did stand by too. We did Star Tours again and saw Muppetvision 3D while waiting for the TSM fast passes to be ready.

We took the bus because we planned on going to Epcot immediately afterwards, but decided to come back to the Polynesian to cool down a bit. It was really hot and the thought of heading to another park at the time was out of the question.

Later on, we went to Epcot and the crowds were heavier in the World Showcase being Friday afternoon. We headed right for Mexico for some Dos Equis and chorizo quesadillas.


One of my favorite building designs

Quesadilla

We next visited China and did some shopping. The pot stickers at China were tasty and there was Siracha available if you wanted to kick it up a notch. I stopped for the beef tenderloin with mango bbq sauce from Cape Town-a little difficult to eat, luckily we grabbed a table so I could cut the meat.


In Germany we checked out the shops and by now the heat was really bad. The walking around in the sun and drinking did not help, but if we were going to make it till 7:00 PM for dinner we needed a break from the sun. So it was back to the Polynesian to rest for a while.

We came back to Epcot around 5:30 PM, strolled through MouseGears and the Gateway shops. I enjoyed walking through the shops in the UK. I feel like the CM s in Canada and the UK have the friendliest. Japan was the next stop- I just love the Mitsokushi department store. There was a big crowd picking out pearls this time.

By then it was time for dinner at Teppan Edo. My first impression was that the area for check in is very chaotic. You can read about the rest of my experience in my dining review.

[Loweschevy]

October 10th

My birthday, my choice right? I decided we should go to the Magic Kingdom to spend the day. I had also made an adr for lunch at the Plaza, so it all worked out perfectly. The crowds were definitely heavier than the beginning of the week, but it was Columbus Day weekend of course. We waited in line at the Will-Call window, which took forever, but eventually I received my choice of fun card, fast passes and the other option. I opted for the fast passes because with the crowds, I figured it would be our best shot to ride more attractions. You are given two sets of four attractions-Daisy and Donald groups. From each group you had a choice of three fast passes. You could load up on three for just one ride or ride three rides, your pick.

When you fed the special fast pass into the machine, you basically received a fast pass for the current time. That was awesome, although if the fast passes ran out for the day, you too would be out of luck. So keep that in mind if you have your birthday on a really crowded day!

We used the fast passes and rode some favorites like the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Liberty Belle and the TTA. The wait times were noticeably longer

Look at that line foolish mortals

We rode the train from Frontierland to Main Street USA to make our way towards the Plaza for lunch. We only waited a few minutes to be seated and the place was only about ¾ full. The service was good-the food came fast and was hot and delicious. After a nice break out of the sun, we used our last fast pass for Buzz and made the journey back to the Polynesian. This time we took the small ferry.


Near the GF marina

Later that night we had birthday dinner at Jiko in the Animal Kingdom Lodge.


October 11th, Epcot

It was our last day to an otherwise perfect vacation. We ended up staying two days longer because I did not want to come home on my birthday. Then also the plane tickets were like $100 more to come home on Sunday. So why not just stay till Monday.

I could spend a portion of every day at WDW at Epcot. There is always so much to see and do here, especially with the food and wine festival going on. We grabbed fast passes for Test Track and waited in standby. After riding, we scoped out MouseGears again, hit Club Cool and waited for the Character Spot to get photographs for my little cousins with Mickey and Donald. We waited about 45 minutes, which was not too bad, not good either, but it is the holiday weekend.

We went back to the Polynesian and had a quick lunch at Captain Cooks. The place was hopping, but it did take too long to get the food. The food was pretty good I might add for counter service. We chilled out a bit and packed up the suitcases for departure tomorrow.

Later on we returned to Epcot for dinner at Le Chefs De France around 6:00 PM. IT was about 4:00 PM so we walked along the World Showcase, which was very congested. We stopped by Mexico for the boat ride and shopping


At Norway we browsed the Café and rode Maelstrom-look at that crowd, bums to elbows everywhere!


We grabbed some brews and black forest cake in Germany. Yes, dessert first for me! An open bench was the perfect place to people watch. I made sure we enjoyed the F & W fest before the weekend arrived because the lines get long and the crowds can be overwhelming.

We slowly made our way from Mexico to the UK till it was time for dinner. There were many people trying to score walk ups, but to no avail. It only was few minutes before we were seated early and had a lovely meal.



We had a fantastic trip. The weather was hotter than usual, but we had plenty of days to take it easy and not push ourselves. I always have more pictures and if you have any questions feel free to pm me about them. I wold love to sit and chat, but it is time to start planning for next year. Tata!

Loweschevy

[KylesMom]

Very nice trip - and until the holiday weekend came along, it sounds like the crowds cooperated, too. Thanks for sharing your birthday trip with us!

[nicster]

Wow! Great report...so many details. I agree with you about EPCOT, I could spend part of every WDW day there. Happy planning!

[DisneyBarb]

Sounds like a fantastic trip! It got me excited for our trip to the Poly in a couple of weeks!

We also love the Poly for its ease of going to Epcot on the monorail...

Thanks for the great report!

[Loweschevy]

Dining Reviews October 3-12th

Wolfgang Puck Café, October 3rd

For our first night in the World, we dined at Wolfgang Puck Café. We had lunch there a few times, and have eaten in the dining room, but this time I thought we would have dinner at the Café. We were seated early in a room that used to be a patio. The air conditioning was running the whole time and it was freezing. I mentioned it to the waiter, who’s name I cannot remember, but it doesn’t matter because he wasn’t that great any how. The air remained freezing cold for the entire meal. Though the alternative was in the main dining room and it was extremely loud when I went in to use the restroom.

The bread basket included focaccia bread, but it was dry and seemed like it was sitting out uncovered most of the day. My parents ordered salads and they were good. DM’s mixed field greens salad included a crostini with goat cheese. The crostini was stale, not soft in the middle and toasted on the outside like toast should be. It was dehydrated and like ready to be made into stuffing. The spinach salad DF ordered was executed better. They ordered the rigatoni Bolognese and it was okay tasting, not incredible, not terrible, but about average. The portion was large enough though to not feel cheated.



I had the BBQ chicken pizza, which was spicy from the chili oil and the perfect size. It was not overloaded and soggy from the toppings. The crust was chewy, but also toasted and crispy-just right. To top the night off we split a piece of key lime pie-it was fabulous and made up for the so-so pasta dish.





Overall the dinner was just average and we are looking for great. I cannot say I would return to dinner at WPC, but maybe lunch when it is not so crowded. Our server seemed pretty overloaded with tables too.

[Loweschevy]

Citricos, October 4th

On Sunday, we dined at our absolute favorite restaurant Citricos. It was a short monorail ride over to the Grand Floridian from the Polynesian. Our expectations were high as we have never had an average meal or bad service here. The menu changed just slightly from the last year. We arrived a bit early and were asked to wait, but still were seated early. It was not overly crowded at the time, yet there was a steady crowd all night.

Tammy greeted us and she was helpful and friendly throughout the night. She gave us some time to choose a wine and brought some bread and butter with scented sea salt to the table. I went with the ice cold Coca Cola since I do not drink wine.

For starters I opted for my favorite Crab Gateau. It is crab and cheese folded together and warmed in the oven, topped with a creamy orange fennel sauce and tomatoes. Seafood and cheese are not typical companions in the food world, but this appetizer is heavenly.



DF went for the cheese plate and DM the goat cheese truffle salad. The threecheeses were given in decent portions with raisins on the vine and other accompaniments. The goat cheese balls are shaped to look like truffles and coated with sesame seeds, dried tomato and cracked pepper. The goat cheese is served atop frisee, thick sliced bacon and peaches.





I chose the veal shank with carrot potato puree for dinner. Even though it was 90 degrees outside, I still felt like something comforting and cozy to eat. It was tender and the sauce oh so rich. They even provided a fork to scoop out the bone marrow, but I did not go for it. I know it is tasty, but the mouth feel freaks me out.




DM had the filet jardinière with the peppadews & onions on the side. It was by far the best tasting & tender filet she had this trip. DF had the black grouper which he really enjoyed.



I felt a bit different and decided to stay away from chocolate this evening for dessert and went with the gelato sampler. I love my chocolate, but later at night it could keep me buzzing from the caffeine. There were three gelatos-cappuccino, toasted almond and raspberry. The flavors were intense and delicious. DM went with a liquor soaked angel food cake.





We never felt rushed to order nor did the entrees arrive before we finished our appetizers and salads. I prefer Citricos over the California Grill any night. It is more peaceful and relaxing. The staff is also more attentive and focused on you as an individual.

[Loweschevy]

Artist Point, October 5th

I made an earlier dinner reservation for Monday AT 6:00 leaving time to get to the MK for Spectromagic, but we were plum tuckered out by the time dinner was over. We drove over to the Wilderness Lodge a little early to check out the shop and soak up a bit of the atmosphere. I checked us in and we were seated in a nearly empty dining room right next to another party of diners a few minutes later. I do not understand why they cram people right together when the place is a ghost town, considering we had a different server.



Several minutes later Scott greeted us and he seemed apprehensive. Perhaps my family is scary, I don’t know-we are nice people really. Scott brought back the wine and the house bread and butter. My DF went with the spinach salad, which was way underdressed, but a large portion that I could not finish. It was topped with bacon pieces, chopped hard boiled egg, picked onions, radish and supposedly a mustard vinaigrette. DM chose the mixed green salad with candied hazelnuts, pears, cheddar and champagne vinaigrette. I preferred her salad over mine in the end. Luckily, I was able to score a few more bites.







DM, the filet hound, ordered the beef tenderloin with blue cheese fritter, roasted fingerling potatoes and wine reduction sauce. First off, it was no where near medium, but raw inside. It took for ever till we could get a food runner’s attention to take it back. Scott finally came over to check on the meals and realized there was one missing. When it finally arrived, more cooked to say the least, it was not a good tasting piece of meat-bad cow. As if it was not bad enough they doused it with liquid smoke to top it off. The potatoes tasted good, but she prefers the sweet potato hazelnut gratin ordered on the side. They used to serve them with the buffalo strip loin that I had for dinner.



The buffalo strip loin was served with asparagus, roasted yellow beets, onion marmalade, and this heavenly goat cheese polenta (like they serve at the California Grill with the pork tenderloin.) I do not favor the buffalo over beef, but it is good substitute for something meaty when you want to cut back on your cholesterol intake.



My father picked his favorite, the salmon, which I hindered on ordering. This time it was served with a potato dumpling, which tasted to me like spaetzle, brocolini and a balsamic vinaigrette. I thought the accompaniments were pretty weak and normally the salmon is paired with roasted potatoes. He enjoyed the dish nonetheless.



For dessert, I went with the house specialty berry cobbler. It was excellent as usual. My mother on the other hand ordered the chocolate cheesecake, but we the food runner arrived she had a goat cheese tart. She threw it down in front of my mom and took off. DM had that what just happened here look. Again we had to try to get Scott’s attention and were not successful for several minutes. The dessert finally arrived correctly.

Cobbler, goat cheese not actually ordered





I can allow one serving mistake, but two to one person, come on now. The menus are not that large. I am a chef and I know meat cookery is a great skill, but you have to be spot on if you do not want to lose your shirt sending out multiple steaks. The food runner should have not taken off so quick that was pretty rotten. By the time her dishes came, my dad and I were about done with our meals. This was definitely a dining disappointment. I thought maybe the manager would come over, but no, no where to be found when we were leaving. I did not want any kind of compensation, which is why many people complain, but I would have told him what a mediocre experience we had. I will have to think twice about adding Artist Point to my adrs next year.

[Loweschevy]

Mama Melrose lunch, October 6th

We grabbed a quick breakfast at Captain Cook’s this morning. My family prefers to eat at a sit down place for breakfast, but having a lunch adr I wanted to be sure we had an appetite. At 12:05 PM we had our lunch reservation for Mama Melrose’s. The place opens at 12:00 PM so there was a little bit of a wait till they began to seat tables. I enjoy looking at the pictures of movie stars on the walls that are like 20 years old.

I kind of like the décor in here-there are many items I have not yet seen even though we tend to be seated in the same area year to year. It is dark with large windows in the front of the building providing some natural lighting. There are bunches of grapes hanging from the ceiling and movie posters about the walls. The host led us to our table and shortly after that Holly from Pittsburgh greeted us. She was full of energy and very fun. Although she looked pretty bummed out that I was too full for my birthday dessert.

The three of us ordered appetizers and flatbreads for lunch to share. DF went with the antipasti platter for two, which was new to the menu. There were several large slices of provolone, gorgonzola, mortadella, salami along with roasted red peppers and artichokes. We were about halfway through eating it when I realized I did not take the picture, sorry! We also split a Caesar salad with a tasty, creamy yet not overpowering anchovy dressing with crispy romaine. DM had the mixed green salad to start. The vine ripened tomato flatbread is topped with sliced tomatoes, spicy pesto and creamy goat cheese. The grilled pepperoni flatbread had think sliced pepperoni, grilled onions, peppers, and a cheese blend with a light tomato sauce. They are just right for me, not to much sauce, cheese or toppings. They are baked in a wood oven to give it a crisp and smoky taste.





I know Mama Melrose’s gets a number of mixed reviews, mainly bad ones from what I have seen. However, we have eaten lunch here every year for about 5 years now and never had bad food or service. You can certainly get better Italian food outside the world, but while we are here Mama’s is always a must do for us.

Tony’s Town Square, October 6th

So we were eating at Tony’s Town Square before the party at 5:00PM. I originally planned on getting an adr for the Plaza, but it was booked till about 7:00 PM on this evening due to the party. So we ate at two Italian places- most of the time I cannot get enough Italian food! Tony’s is another one of those hit or miss places, heavy on the miss. Our server, Ed, guided us to my decorated birthday table complete with confetti and streamers. It was about half full in the main dining room and only a few tables were occupied in the atrium area where we were seated.



Ed was going for the gold this evening. He was extremely friendly and helpful with the meal selections. We kept it simple and ordered some mixed green salads and I went with the garlic cheese toast. It was a crusty toasted loaf with melted bubbly mozzarella cheese topped with chopped tomatoes, garlic and basil. It must be a newer item on the menu and I hope they continue to serve it.





A round a spaghetti and sausages for our entrees arrived and Ed returned to grate some parmesan cheese. It wasn’t the best tasting sauce, a little bitter, but full and robust at least. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the sausages were tasty. The spumoni for dessert was complete with a lighted candle for my birthday celebration. Ed proceeded to dump a pile of Mickey head confetti in my hair, but it was all in good fun!




(**** my hair looked good)

The appetizer, salads and dessert were pretty darn good. The sauce was a little sour, but edible. Ed was a great server and made sure our drinks were full and were happy with our meals. I will probably consider returning for dinner before the MNSSHP next year because of its convenience and quality of food and service, but perhaps try a different entrée. We were done eating around 6:00 PM and it was time for the party!

[Loweschevy]

Yachtsman Steakhouse, October 7th

This happens to be another favorite of ours along with Citricos. We have dined here for the past three years and have always experienced great food and great service. There were some conventions going on, so many people were trying to get in for dinner. I was given a pager and I snagged a seat that peered into the glass walled aging room to watch a chef fabricate some lamb chops. The dining was crowded when we arrived, but nonetheless we were seated with in 5 minutes of our adr time.

Our table was located in a small room off the left side of the main dining room. It is considerably brighter than the rest of the dining area and has partial walls peeking into the kitchen line. There are also only four tables in the area, which cut down on the noise factor. Pam of Orlando came over to greet us and take our drink orders. My parents selected a bottle of wine and I had a tall frosty Coca Cola. She returned and talked to us about the restaurants signature dishes and her favorites from the menu.

Pam came back with the wine along with a basket of onion bread and some crusty sourdough rolls. The butter is topped with infused sea salt and olive oil and balsamic vinegar. There was also some roasted garlic to smear over your bread if you choose.




Hey one of those guys is making a run for it!


We ordered our appetizers, but I was disappointed they removed the chilled seafood salad and replaced it with a shrimp cocktail, which I did end up ordering. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and chilled, served with traditional cocktail sauce, lightly dressed watercress and lemon wedges.



DM had the salad with pears, prosciutto, mache, champagne vinaigrette and balsamic drizzle. My father went with yet another cheese selection which included four cheeses and accompaniments-I am making him get his cholesterol checked real soon! They both enjoyed their selections.





I do not normally order a filet mignon because I prefer the taste of a ribeye or fattier cut of meat. However I did not feel like ordering a 20 oz. or 24 oz. steak. I have had the N.Y strip here before and found it not incredibly flavorful or tender. So mother and I selected the filet served with mashed potatoes, wine reduction and the house sautéed spinach and onions. DF went with the N.Y. strip (served with a cheddar potato gratin and peppercorn brandy sauce) even after I warned him about the toughness he may experience. It was a bit tougher than most cuts, but he enjoyed it overall. The filets were very tender and flavorful, much better than tenderloin from the old milk cow Bessie they served her at Artist Point.





My birthday dessert provided by Pam! The YSH always have great desserts, so I always leave a little extra room for some after dinner treats. I selected a take on a caramelized banana Napoleon with white chocolate mousse and chocolate. It was excellent, bananas and chocolate with crispy layers of puff pastry, how does that not sound good. DM tried the creme brulee with berries, which she enjoyed very much.








Overall, we all love the Yachtsman Steakhouse. Great food and very attentive service really make it shine. YSH will definitely be on the adr list for next year.

[Loweschevy]

Grand Floridian Café breakfast, October 8th

We normally grab breakfast at the Kona Café each morning, but sometimes we feel like something a little different. So just a short monorail ride over we traveled to the Grand Flordian Café for breakfast. The menus between the two are pretty similar, but they both offer different egg benedict dishes and a few other specialties. We decided to stick to the basics so DF and I ordered the Western omelet, which had sautéed ham, peppers and onions. DM went with two eggs and toast and all dishes were served with GFC southern style hash browns. The meal was good, nothing extra special, but a nice change of scenery and atmosphere from the Kona Café.






Some southern comfort


Kona Café- Breakfast

We enjoy eating at Kona Café for breakfast many days on our trip so this review is a combination of many (great) meals had there during our stay. It worked out pretty well if we arrived by 8:00 AM, we would be finished eating and checked out by 8:30 AM or so and head to the parks for rope drop.

I am always trying to figure out the dealio with the seating. They always make you wait to be seated even though the restaurant is empty, this must drive a lot of people bananas. I am sure they have a reason or a program for it, so if someone knows give me a shout out.

The breakfast meats in WDW are kind of lacking-the bacon and sausage are odd, just a complaint




Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm…toasty


Blueberry hotcakes, well I call them pancakes


Ooh these are darn good-macadamia nut pineapple pancakes


Fruit plate or Carmen Miranda left her hat behind


One of those unadvertised secret menu items, oatmeal


Il Mulino, Swan Resort, October 8th

We first started coming to this restaurant right after it opened. Last year, we had a larger party and found the food to be okay. This year it was definitely better. The place was dead at first, but a few more parties began to show up as our meal progressed. Luigi was a robust fellow with lots of energy. He and two other servers hovered around us picking up plates and delivering entrees all night. He went for the wine and another fellow dropped off some spicy focaccia and crusty Italian bread along with the baked eggplant and house made salumi to munch on.






The restaurant itself is beautiful with dark woods and dark orange and deep yellow lighting. There are wooden floors and sleek table settings. A wall with a checker board pattern of glass windows sits in front of the open kitchen line. This is a lively night spot when there a number of conventions in town.

Pic

For appetizers I selected the polpetti, which they described as a veal meatball served with traditional sauce and cheese. There were three large meatballs with sprinkled with cheese. They tasted like pure meat, lacking some herbs and I filler that I normally prefer. DF had the insalata caprese salad with mozzarella, sliced tomatoes with sundried tomatoes, fresh basil and fresh cracked pepper. DM went with the house salad. A large, but homely salad-it tasted good, but needed a little love in its preparation.



Polpetti





My entrée was the veal saltimbocca. I did not want a real heavy saucy dish this evening, so this was a good alternative. The veal was tender, salty and flavorful from the sage and prosciutto. It was finished with a white wine sauce, herbs and served with sautéed spinach. The portion was quite large with three pieces of scaloppini on the plate. DM chose the lunch size version of carbonara, which she found a little drier than most versions, but the rednered pancetta added a lot of flavor. The portion was still too big for her to even dent. DF picked the cannelloni, which are stuffed rolls of pasta filled with a ground meat & spinach topped with light tomato cream sauce. Again this was a large portion and this dish is particularly filling-I think he managed to eat one whole one.







For dessert Luigi served my tartuffo with a lighted candle! It was not the best tartuffo, it was filled with a vanilla gelato and the chocolate shell was more of a milk chocolate than dark, but it was good. DM went for the flourless chocolate cake, which was very intense with flavor. After dinner they bring over your complementary limoncello for a digestif-it tastes like lemon cough syrup and is really strong.





We had a great experience this meal and enjoyed our dishes. The prices are more expensive than most other restaurants, but the portions are huge! Three meatballs for an appetizer, I was expecting one little meatball on a plate. The cannelloni were monsters and the pasta dish was hearty too. You could easily split and entrée here after eating an appetizer. I feel pretty positive that it will be on the adr list next year.

[Loweschevy]

Teppan Edo, October 9th

This was our first visit to Teppan Edo and found to be a little wild and crazy. The check in area was full of people and hard to maneuver through. We were seated about 5 minutes after our adr time, which I felt was good considering the place was packed. We were seated with a large 6 people family from IL. The hostess led us through the main dining room to the back near the bathrooms and she had us wait. It was a bit odd, but there were a few smaller rooms in the back with two or three tables. We were all seated and Izumi introduced herself to us and from what I could understand she was our server and talked about the service and tradition.


Some wall paintings…

She brought our drinks and took our appetizer and dinner orders. I took a few pictures while waiting. None of us are very fond of sushi, but I helped DF work through his sampler of tuna, yellowtail, shrimp nigiri and California roll. The tuna was by far my favorite. Izumi suggested bringing all salad dressings for me to try, I liked the oriental, but the creamy sesame was the best.


Salad with oriental and ginger dressing


Sushi sampler-what a beautiful dish-you almost do not want to eat it

Shortly after we had our salads and DF his sushi sampler, the teppanyaki chef arrived. He introduced himself and oil the grill and tossed on the veggies, meat, and seafood to cook. If I do not write it down I forget the name- I want to say Mawa or something to that effect. He made a sweet onion volcano-it was quite a crowd pleaser. We frequent a Japanese steakhouse near our home and it is not as formal or traditional as Teppan Edo. I thought the noodles and veggies tossed together were okay-I would have preferred the veggies and noodles separate.



Some of the food was little bland, like he did not season and toss all of the veggies together enough. The meat could have been seasoned more as well. I also like fried rice over steamed rice as well. My father wants to return, but mom and I are on the fence about next year. It was a bit different than what we are used to, but in the end it was fun.

[Loweschevy]

Jiko, October 10th

We arrived at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and self parked our car. The place from the outside looks really cool. The lobby is as impressive as the Wilderness Lodge. They acknowledged my birthday and I received a card wishing me a happy one!

I enjoy the design and atmosphere of Jiko, the darker ceiling, the “bird” lights, the wooden tables etc. This time we were seated in the back, where it is considerably more lighted. The mood lighting changed throughout the night, which freaked me out at first, but then I realized it was on purpose. The menu is larger with a great selection of starters and entrees. The menu changed up a bit this year from last. The maize crusted halibut is still there, a very good dish. Also the filet with mac and cheese was still a highlight.


Fly, fly, fly away little birdies

Eduardo finally came over to the table after several minutes. He seemed to be busy with his other tables. He explained the menu and Jiko signatures. We decided over our choices while he went for the wine. I decided to totally pig out for my birthday. For my first course I picked the Savannah rolls, which were a new edition to the menu. They were phyllo wrapped sweet corn and spinach spring rolls with a tasty vinaigrette and frisee salad. Honestly they were a bit bland as I expecting more heat and spice. The presentation was lovely and the portion large enough to share, but it did not wow me. DF had the cheese platter. It included a five cheese selection of cow, goat and sheep’s cheeses with accompaniments. Most were good, but one of them we just felt was bad. It tasted like goat cheese, yogurt and sour creamy, but almost rancid tasting. DM went with the summer salad with peaches, edible flowers, and champagne vinaigrette. It was also a large portion and quite tasty. I also ordered the BLT salad, which was just so-so. The tomato was over ripe and mushy, but the bacon and dressing were delicious.






Hey! There are flowers in my salad, what gives?


Some very fine swine


For entrees, I went for the new braised beef short rib with roasted potatoes and house made barbeque sauce. It was very rich and had a great developed flavor. The meat was tender and moist. DM had the filet (again!) with mac and cheese, which she enjoyed. DF had the grilled swordfish with asparagus and liked it.







I thought I was totally full, but still had room for the pistachio crème brulee Eduardo brought over. My mother went for the apple tart tatin, kind of a small portion, but a lovely taste.





I was not blown away like I was last year, but I will definitely return next year to dine. Maybe I was a bit critical, but my first two courses were so-so. My first impression last year was chaotic. Why they ever planned on having the buffet restaurant across from a quite upcscale spot is beyond me. It makes sense for food storage and preparation, but the noise and crowds from Boma are overpowering. When I go to a restaurant like Jiko, I do not want to fight through a crowd of people with their bathing suits on or hauling dirty laundry in the elevator. I feel Citricos, Narcoossee’s and California Grill were properly placed on their resort properties.


Chef’s De France, October 11th

This has always been a favorite of mine and last year we skipped out on it to attend Party for the Senses. While that was really fun, it was loud, no tables and dark blah, blah, blah. Needless to say, I was excited to go back. We have always had great food. Service has been a miss from time to time, but overall good experiences. The hostess was not the most friendly person I have encountered, probably not a good choice for the front door. (just saying!)

We were seated in the back room right next to the dessert plating area. It was funny to watch the chefs- a female seemed to be doing most of the plating and preparing, while the younger gentleman was busy torching orders of crème brulee and jabbering all night.

Thomas, from Paris, was our server for the evening and it was his first month on the job. He was nervous, but managed to go through the house favorites and features. He brought over the wine and beverages and took our order for the evening. Meanwhile, Thomas brought over some French rolls with butter. I chose the baked goat cheese salad. It has breaded baked goat cheese, walnuts, endive, arugula, and it was supposed to have grapes, but I received one grape-more would have been nice with the goat cheese. My father’s cheese platter included Form D’Ambert and three other cheeses. They portions were large, but he did not push himself to finish them. For about $10.00, it is a great platter to share. DM went with the house salad with vinaigrette, no blue cheese-yawn.


See him(grape)! He is hiding beneath the frisee!



We had just finished our appetizers when the entrees arrived. The portions are large and absolutely filled the entire plate. The plates were piping hot, but they did continue to cook our duck unfortunately. I preferred the duck with the spicy honey sauce, this year it was richer and meatier tasting. The leg confit was delicious and tender. DF traded sides with DM-sweet potatoes for cheesy gratin served along side the grilled filet. All dishes were served with buttery haricots verts-French green beans.


Thomas was shaky-sauce spilled a little



For dessert I opted for the strawberry gelato-it was three big scoops served with whipped cream, fresh berries and a palmier. DM went with the Crème brulee from the mad scientist at the dessert counter.


Remy?


One of his arms must be longer than the other

The food was hot and delicious, a perfect ending to our last evening in WDW. Thomas provided great service and told us about his experiences in France. He said as a server you basically only deliver the food and remove plates and here the service is more involved. I thought that was pretty interesting. We really enjoyed our return visit to Le Chefs De France and it will probably secure a spot for dinner for next year’s trip.

[faline]

What a wonderful trip and birthday celebration!