raph_b
11-17-2008, 12:10 PM
In light of the fact it's taken me so long to get here since day 3, here's a reminder :)
The pre-trip can be found here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1850893
and the earlier installments:
Day 1
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1982340
Day 2
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1985151
Day 3
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1991243
Day 4 - Seaworld Saturday at last!!!
I had been looking forward to this for ages, some of my clearest memories from my only previous trip to Orlando 20 years ago are of Seaworld, and in fact I still have my cuddly walrus from there :)
One of the great things about the International Plaza was the fact it's a 10 minute walk to Seaworld!
We left the hotel about 9 (once again there was too much faffing around to make a rope drop!) and found the little pathway to Sea World. As we were walking towards the Sea World car park a very nice bus driver offered to take us the rest of the way :) okay, it was only a few hundred metres, but it was very hot and the air conditioned bus was like heaven :)
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02719.jpg
We got through the gates about 9.15 and headed straight for Kraken, which did not disappoint :)
The queue was non existent, although the queue for the front was about 15 people deep. We decided to wait for the front, but it took ages, about 20 minutes in total, as there was only one car going around.
Kraken was amazing, and again, being at the front made it a much better ride. After riding the front we went straight back on and rode the back, which was wicked again :)
We then went for Journey to Atlantis, which was a walk on, although Em was unsure about going on this as she had developed a phobia of getting soaked after yesterday's nonsense at IOA! I convinced her we wouldn't get wet, and and I was almost right - we got all the way round, down the water drop and managed to get very minor splashback - unfortunately we counted our chickens a little to early, and whilst breathing collective sighs of relief, we got an absolute soaking from one of the water cannons! - It wasn't as bad as yesterdays soaking, but it wasn't far off!
It was only later we realised that someone had paid to soak us - as we were watching all the other cars come round and wondering why no-one else was getting wet!
We then went to feed the dolphins, but the queue was ridiculous so we thought we'd come back later. We watched a few people feeding them, then went to see the rays. I loved the little ray 'pups' in the nursery. So cute :)
Then looked at the baby dolphins in the nursery
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02720.jpg
We then went to watch the Dolphin Show, which is absolutely amazing. Its incredible how well trained the dolphins are, and they can get some serious height when they jump!
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02737.jpg
Next up was the Clyde & Seymore show
I remember loving this show as a kid, I cant remember anything about it, but I remember loving the walrus, and in fact I still have my walrus teddies at home :)
The show is really funny, the actors seemed to be laughing with eachother all the way through which made it even funnier. Again, its just so impressive how well trained the seals are.
As good as the show the show was, the funniest part was the pre show entertainment!
You should definitely aim to get to the show at least 15 minutes early - not to save a seat, but to check out the mime! He is hilarious. When we came in he pointed us towards a seat, and as we walked past the crowd all started laughing, we turned around an couldn't work out why. The mime basically points people towards a seat and when they walk past takes the mickey out of them, but he is really funny and observant - you can see some clips of him on you tube.
I would love to know what he did to us......
Anyway, we then went to get some lunch from the Spice Mill
We both went for the jerk chicken sandwich, which was really good: really good fries too :)
After lunch we checked out the penguins, then the sharks. I remember this from when I was younger too, and also imagined it would be more like it is in Jaws 3. I guess I was disappointed a giant great white didn't attack lol. There were some really cool looking fishes and sharks in there though.
Next up was the Shamu show - 'Believe' Again, this was amazing. The shows at Sea World really are amazing and have to be seen. I am just so impressed that such a massive creature can be tamed so well. The killer whales here are better behaved than our rabbits!
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02758.jpg
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02763.jpg
I love this pic - check out the size of his flipper!!!
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02760.jpg
After we went to the everest ride, the ride was a bit crappy but I loved the polar bear and the walrus (I'm not sure what it is about walrus' that I like, they just have such cute faces - maybe its the moustache!)
Oh, almost forgot the mummy seal feeding her little baby
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02747.jpg
We were knackered after a long day of walking around so walked home, rested for a bit then headed to the nearest mall, Pointe Orlando.
I thought this was an absolute waste of time, only decent shop (imo) is Hollister, and there are a few decent looking restaurants there but for shopping it just seemed empty. Is this place new? I hope they are planning to add more shops...........
Of course we took the madatory picture of the upside down wonder works:
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02767.jpg
We then got ready for our evening meal at Le Coq Au Vin, rated the number 1 restaurant on trip advisor in Orlando (or had been for the past year or so until Shula's recently claimed the top spot!)
Coq Au Vin
Em is half French and has been brought up on fine French cuisine, so it would need to be good to live up to the reputation on TA, Well I'm pleased to say that it smashed those expectations out the park, this restaurant is amazing!
I wasn't getting my hopes up on the way down there, as it is in downtown Orlando and, lets just say we went past some less than desirable areas.
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02771.jpg
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02768.jpg
The restaurant is fairly easy to find in a car using the directions from their website.
It's really cool inside, and very French too!
Okay okay, enough of this boring talk of decor and areas, ON TO THE FOOD!!!!
Firstly, I apologies but we didn't take any pictures in here - maybe we were too scared, maybe we were too hungry, I can't remember, but even without pictures I can remember that the food was superb.
For starter I had Tarte a L’Oignon - Alsace style caramelized onion tart, crisp smoked bacon bits Herb boursin, goat, cottage cheeses mix.
Em had - Coquilles St. Jacques Sea scallops and mushrooms in a light cream sauce with a cheese and garlic, parsley crust
Mains were
Me - Tournedos - Beef tenderloin steak on shredded shortribs, bleu cheese crust, morel mushrooms, port wine sauce, carrots with thyme, au gratin potatoes
Em - Cannot remember! It was some kind of fish, but from the seasonal menu which is not online - I know, I know, first I let you down with a lack of pictures, and now there isn't even a description of the food. Fell free to PM with me with any complaints ;)
For dessert we shared:
Tarte aux Pommes - Butter puff pastry, granny smith apples, raisins, praline crunch and caramel ice cream
Les Souffles de Jean Baptiste Grand marnier, chocolate, raspberry or any two combinations. Chocolate flavour of course :)
All of the food really was amazing, and pretty good value too. The only disappointing part of the meal was the souffle, all reviews have raved about how amazing this was, and it was just ok, couldn't really get excited about it.
The Tarte aux Pommes however was amazing. Whenever Em and I share a dessert its every man for himself, and if you aren't quick the dessert will soon be gone, so once we both realized this was easily the best of the desserts silence struck and the tarte was soon history.....
The total (including a beer and a bottle of wine) without tip was only $112.88
Em's marks
Ambience 9
Service 7
Food 9.5
Value for money 10
Em's reason for scoring service low was because the waiter was a bit grumpy!
Overall 9.5
Me
Ambience 9
Service 8
Food 9
Value for money 10
Overall 9
Another fantastic restaurant and one I would highly recommend.
And yes, once again, we were stuffed!
Tune in tomorrow for fun and frolics in the Animal Kingdom, dinner at Narcoosee's and dessert at Goofy's Candy Co (and our last day of being single!)
PS Sorry about the delay in the report, things have been really busy recently.
The pre-trip can be found here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1850893
and the earlier installments:
Day 1
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1982340
Day 2
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1985151
Day 3
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1991243
Day 4 - Seaworld Saturday at last!!!
I had been looking forward to this for ages, some of my clearest memories from my only previous trip to Orlando 20 years ago are of Seaworld, and in fact I still have my cuddly walrus from there :)
One of the great things about the International Plaza was the fact it's a 10 minute walk to Seaworld!
We left the hotel about 9 (once again there was too much faffing around to make a rope drop!) and found the little pathway to Sea World. As we were walking towards the Sea World car park a very nice bus driver offered to take us the rest of the way :) okay, it was only a few hundred metres, but it was very hot and the air conditioned bus was like heaven :)
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02719.jpg
We got through the gates about 9.15 and headed straight for Kraken, which did not disappoint :)
The queue was non existent, although the queue for the front was about 15 people deep. We decided to wait for the front, but it took ages, about 20 minutes in total, as there was only one car going around.
Kraken was amazing, and again, being at the front made it a much better ride. After riding the front we went straight back on and rode the back, which was wicked again :)
We then went for Journey to Atlantis, which was a walk on, although Em was unsure about going on this as she had developed a phobia of getting soaked after yesterday's nonsense at IOA! I convinced her we wouldn't get wet, and and I was almost right - we got all the way round, down the water drop and managed to get very minor splashback - unfortunately we counted our chickens a little to early, and whilst breathing collective sighs of relief, we got an absolute soaking from one of the water cannons! - It wasn't as bad as yesterdays soaking, but it wasn't far off!
It was only later we realised that someone had paid to soak us - as we were watching all the other cars come round and wondering why no-one else was getting wet!
We then went to feed the dolphins, but the queue was ridiculous so we thought we'd come back later. We watched a few people feeding them, then went to see the rays. I loved the little ray 'pups' in the nursery. So cute :)
Then looked at the baby dolphins in the nursery
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02720.jpg
We then went to watch the Dolphin Show, which is absolutely amazing. Its incredible how well trained the dolphins are, and they can get some serious height when they jump!
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02737.jpg
Next up was the Clyde & Seymore show
I remember loving this show as a kid, I cant remember anything about it, but I remember loving the walrus, and in fact I still have my walrus teddies at home :)
The show is really funny, the actors seemed to be laughing with eachother all the way through which made it even funnier. Again, its just so impressive how well trained the seals are.
As good as the show the show was, the funniest part was the pre show entertainment!
You should definitely aim to get to the show at least 15 minutes early - not to save a seat, but to check out the mime! He is hilarious. When we came in he pointed us towards a seat, and as we walked past the crowd all started laughing, we turned around an couldn't work out why. The mime basically points people towards a seat and when they walk past takes the mickey out of them, but he is really funny and observant - you can see some clips of him on you tube.
I would love to know what he did to us......
Anyway, we then went to get some lunch from the Spice Mill
We both went for the jerk chicken sandwich, which was really good: really good fries too :)
After lunch we checked out the penguins, then the sharks. I remember this from when I was younger too, and also imagined it would be more like it is in Jaws 3. I guess I was disappointed a giant great white didn't attack lol. There were some really cool looking fishes and sharks in there though.
Next up was the Shamu show - 'Believe' Again, this was amazing. The shows at Sea World really are amazing and have to be seen. I am just so impressed that such a massive creature can be tamed so well. The killer whales here are better behaved than our rabbits!
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02758.jpg
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02763.jpg
I love this pic - check out the size of his flipper!!!
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02760.jpg
After we went to the everest ride, the ride was a bit crappy but I loved the polar bear and the walrus (I'm not sure what it is about walrus' that I like, they just have such cute faces - maybe its the moustache!)
Oh, almost forgot the mummy seal feeding her little baby
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02747.jpg
We were knackered after a long day of walking around so walked home, rested for a bit then headed to the nearest mall, Pointe Orlando.
I thought this was an absolute waste of time, only decent shop (imo) is Hollister, and there are a few decent looking restaurants there but for shopping it just seemed empty. Is this place new? I hope they are planning to add more shops...........
Of course we took the madatory picture of the upside down wonder works:
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02767.jpg
We then got ready for our evening meal at Le Coq Au Vin, rated the number 1 restaurant on trip advisor in Orlando (or had been for the past year or so until Shula's recently claimed the top spot!)
Coq Au Vin
Em is half French and has been brought up on fine French cuisine, so it would need to be good to live up to the reputation on TA, Well I'm pleased to say that it smashed those expectations out the park, this restaurant is amazing!
I wasn't getting my hopes up on the way down there, as it is in downtown Orlando and, lets just say we went past some less than desirable areas.
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02771.jpg
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/raph_b/DSC02768.jpg
The restaurant is fairly easy to find in a car using the directions from their website.
It's really cool inside, and very French too!
Okay okay, enough of this boring talk of decor and areas, ON TO THE FOOD!!!!
Firstly, I apologies but we didn't take any pictures in here - maybe we were too scared, maybe we were too hungry, I can't remember, but even without pictures I can remember that the food was superb.
For starter I had Tarte a L’Oignon - Alsace style caramelized onion tart, crisp smoked bacon bits Herb boursin, goat, cottage cheeses mix.
Em had - Coquilles St. Jacques Sea scallops and mushrooms in a light cream sauce with a cheese and garlic, parsley crust
Mains were
Me - Tournedos - Beef tenderloin steak on shredded shortribs, bleu cheese crust, morel mushrooms, port wine sauce, carrots with thyme, au gratin potatoes
Em - Cannot remember! It was some kind of fish, but from the seasonal menu which is not online - I know, I know, first I let you down with a lack of pictures, and now there isn't even a description of the food. Fell free to PM with me with any complaints ;)
For dessert we shared:
Tarte aux Pommes - Butter puff pastry, granny smith apples, raisins, praline crunch and caramel ice cream
Les Souffles de Jean Baptiste Grand marnier, chocolate, raspberry or any two combinations. Chocolate flavour of course :)
All of the food really was amazing, and pretty good value too. The only disappointing part of the meal was the souffle, all reviews have raved about how amazing this was, and it was just ok, couldn't really get excited about it.
The Tarte aux Pommes however was amazing. Whenever Em and I share a dessert its every man for himself, and if you aren't quick the dessert will soon be gone, so once we both realized this was easily the best of the desserts silence struck and the tarte was soon history.....
The total (including a beer and a bottle of wine) without tip was only $112.88
Em's marks
Ambience 9
Service 7
Food 9.5
Value for money 10
Em's reason for scoring service low was because the waiter was a bit grumpy!
Overall 9.5
Me
Ambience 9
Service 8
Food 9
Value for money 10
Overall 9
Another fantastic restaurant and one I would highly recommend.
And yes, once again, we were stuffed!
Tune in tomorrow for fun and frolics in the Animal Kingdom, dinner at Narcoosee's and dessert at Goofy's Candy Co (and our last day of being single!)
PS Sorry about the delay in the report, things have been really busy recently.