Eating is Half the Fun of Going to Disney! Dining Review with Photos - Complete !

[Lilo's Mom]

Disney Dining December 2nd – 8th
Hello to one and all! :wave2: DH and I took a well deserved trip to Disney December 2nd – 8th, and since all of you helped us plan out our dining, we are going to return the favor by giving you a recap of our dining adventures.
We checked into the Caribbean Beach Resort on Tuesday the 2nd, around 2:30 in the afternoon, picked up our Keys to the Kingdom, and information on the Dining Plan (this was our fourth trip using the dining plan, but the first where the tip was not included, and the appetizer was removed from the plan) and decided we should head over to Epcot since we had a reservation at Teppan Edo at 5:00pm for the Candle Light Processional Dining Package. In an attempt not to ruin our dinner and temporarily fill our empty stomachs we munched on some Pop Tarts on the bus over to Epcot. After a quick ride on Mission Space (no more Orange team for me, thank you very much) and a leisurely walk around World Showcase we made our way over to Japan. We checked in and were seated within 10 minutes with a really nice family. We ordered drinks, Ice Tea for me and a cocktail for DH
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC020008.jpg Sorry, I don’t remember what this was, and I can’t seem to find a drink menu.:confused: DH however loved it.
DH was starving so we ordered the garden salad with creamy sesame dressing and the Crispy Sukiyaki Beef Roll to share. Sorry no pictures here, we really should have grabbed a snack, we attacked the food before I remembered to take any pictures! I will say I was very surprised that DH ordered the Sukiyaki Beef Roll, he is anti-sushi. I guess the fact that it is cooked beef it was ok for him to try, and he was generous enough to let me try a piece, it was very good, and I would definitely order it again. The waitress came and took everyone’s order then asked us if anyone needed forks or if we would like her to make the chopsticks easier for us to use. I opted for the fork; DH went for the “chopstick cheaters”. It was very clever; she put a piece of paper between the chopsticks and wrapped a rubber band around it. Almost everyone at the table her make them a set.
Since the orders were all taken the chef came to prepare dinner.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC020009.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC020010.jpg
We had a great time talking to our table mates as we watched our dinner being prepared. The finished product sure was tasty!
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC020011.jpg
They were very accommodating as well, DH doesn’t really like veggies (except peas and corn) so they made his without. When it came time for dessert I wanted the ginger cake and DH decided he would get the soft serve ice cream and we would combine them to make cake & ice cream!
Here we are with the deserts
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC020012.jpg
And the ginger cake by itself
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC020013.jpg

It was a great experience for us, great company, and wonderful food. It will be on our list of places to eat for our September 09 trip!

Coming next Le Ceiler!:woohoo:

[TigerKat]

Great start! Your Disney princess is adorable!!!!! Am I seeing correctly...you're going to be at Disney for over a month next year? WOW!!!!

[natalielongstaff]

great start, thank you :)

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I'm very much looking forward to the rest of your reviews. Whatever that drink was, it sure looks tasty!

[Lilo's Mom]

Great start! Your Disney princess is adorable!!!!! Am I seeing correctly...you're going to be at Disney for over a month next year? WOW!!!!
Thanks! I think Lilo is a cutie too, she was a gift from my daughter.
LOL, that was just a typo, although a month at Disney would be wonderful! :rotfl:

Thanks everyone for reading along!

[TigerKat]

Thanks! I think Lilo is a cutie too, she was a gift from my daughter.
LOL, that was just a typo, although a month at Disney would be wonderful! :rotfl:

Thanks everyone for reading along!

I had some MAJOR envy going on.....:laughing:

[Lilo's Mom]

After the Candlelight Processional we grabbed some treats from Kringla Bakeri og Café to have for breakfast. I originally wanted to try the school bread…but I really hate coconut, so I decided to pass and go for the Caramel Danish
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC020020.jpg
And DH went for the cream horn
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC020021.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC020022.jpg.

I liked the Danish, but I bet it would have been much better had I ate it when it was hot. DH wasn’t feeling the love for the cream horn, he was expecting a cream filling and he said it was like whip cream. Not to worry, lunch today was at Le Ceiler, our hands down our favorite place to eat at Disney. We usually try to eat there at least twice a trip but alas it was just not to be this time around. We arrived at noon for our 12:15 reservation and ended up getting seated immediately. Our waiter Jeff was absolutely wonderful and made sure that we had plenty of pretzel bread.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC030024.jpg

DH decided on the Le Ceiler Chef’s Favorites, with the Cheese Soup, Shaved Prime Rib Sandwich on toasted ciabatta, and Maple Crème Brulee. I had a cup of Cheese Soup (paid out of pocket) the Mushroom Filet, and the Maple Crème Brulee. As usual the soup was wonderful!
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC030023.jpg.

As you can see by the picture DH really enjoyed his sandwich (he managed to start eating before I even had a chance to take a picture...sorry that it is blurry!) although he did feel it would have been even better if had been in a pretzel roll. Can you tell he really has a thing for the pretzel rolls?
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC030026.jpg

My filet was so tender and moist it practically melted in my mouth. I decided against the risotto that is normally served with the filet because I much prefer the cream cheese mashed potatoes. As you can see I also was so anxious to start my lunch I had to have a bite before I took the picture.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC030025.jpg

The Crème Brulee here is also a favorite of ours, and for my husband the gold standard that all other Crème Brulee must live up too. It’s flavorful and always well prepared.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC030027.jpg
We had a wonderful lunch and enjoyed visiting with Jeff, who told us he had applied to do additional time at Le Ceiler, but they told him that he has to sit out a year and reapply to return. Here is a picture of us that Jeff took.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC030028.jpg
On the way out we stopped and asked if we could fill out a comment card. Immediately the young lady at the front podium thought something was wrong. I assured her that I merely wanted to commend Jeff for his excellent service. Having worked in customer service I know that people are much more likely to take the time to complain rather than take a few moments to acknowledge excellence, so I wanted to make sure that this trip every opportunity I got to give positive feedback, I would!

We ended the day in the food court at CBR having Chicken Cesar Salads, which surprisingly tasty
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/ChixCesar.jpg
And a cookie
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PopCookie.jpg

Next installment Yak & Yeti and a surprise!

[Lilo's Mom]

Thursday, December 4th
Since Animal Kingdom is the park we spend the least amount of time in, we decided to schedule Yak & Yeti for an early lunch. We got to the park at 10 and pretty much finished everything we wanted to do by 11:15, so we decided to see if we could get in earlier than our 12:30 lunch time. Surprisingly they were able to seat us within five minutes! Our server was Andreas; he was very nice and extremely attentive. After glancing over the menu we decided that since this would essentially be our big meal for the day we were going to pay out of pocket and get some appetizers. I had the House Salad,
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC040150.jpg
And DH had the Wonton Soup
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC040151.jpg
The salad was very fresh and I enjoyed the sesame dressing that was on it. DH loved his soup and the Wontons, which after I nibbled on a few I decided would make a great addition to my salad, so I added some in. It made a nice change from croutons.

For our entrees DH had the Baby Back Ribs with Chicken Fried Rice
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC040152.jpg
He really loved the Ribs, the Fried Rice he thought was lacking flavor

I had the Shaoxing Steak & Shrimp.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC040153.jpg
I really should have taken the toothpick out of the steak before I took the picture. It would have given you a better look at the size of the steak, which was actually fairly big. I loved the flavor of it and asked what spices it was cooked with….Andreas told me it was a chef’s secret. :rolleyes: The shrimp were tasty as well, and the rice wasn’t over cooked, so I was very pleased with my meal.

At this point I was stuffed, but I really wanted to try the Cream Cheese Wontons, so we each got an order.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC040154.jpg
Oh my goodness! They were so tasty! :goodvibes And the pineapple and the ice cream made it even better. DH really loved mixing the pineapple with the ice cream; he gave it a thumbs up and decided that this too was going to be a place that we would be coming back to.

After lunch I had an appointment to look at the meeting space at the Yacht and Beach Club. I work for a medical association and a few of my co-workers and I would love to have a meeting there. The trouble is our Executive Director is probably as Anti-Disney as you can get :confused3 …still we are hopeful that we can convince him that holding a meeting there would be a wise choice. Anyway after our site visit we headed back to our room to rest for awhile and low and behold look what arrived as a thank you for having a site visit!
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC040162.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC040166.jpg
There was chips, crackers and cheese, cookies, candy, sodas, fruit, CDs. What a surprise! It came in so handy to have snacks for the room. I don’t care what my E.D. has to say, Disney is a class operation, and we really need to hold a meeting there!

Next Sci- Fi Dine In

[TigerKat]

What an awesome surprise!:thumbsup2

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

Awesome surprise! I'm holding my breath for your review of Sci-Fi.

[janloz]

We were there 11/20-12/6 and I swear we saw you there. When I saw your pics, I recognized you. I will have to follow your DR to see if we ate at any of the same places.

I also do event planning for our company and didn't think to look at their facilities. :headache: Maybe next time.

[Lilo's Mom]

We were there 11/20-12/6 and I swear we saw you there. When I saw your pics, I recognized you. I will have to follow your DR to see if we ate at any of the same places.

I also do event planning for our company and didn't think to look at their facilities. :headache: Maybe next time.

You think you saw me? Wow you must have a great memory! I arranged my sit visit with one of the Disney National Sales Reps. Here is her information

Ms. Jodie Rapparlie
National Sales Manager
Disney Resort Destinations
401 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 2000
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 595-7742

jodie.rapparlie@disney.com

Jodie set me up with the site visit, which was fabulous! I was so impreseed, many meetings we do are in hotels all over the country( 2009 I have meetings in Las Vegas, Nashville, Chicago, & San Francisco), and usually our information or registration area is set up outside our meeting room on a long table. Yacht and Beach Club has actual registration areas with counters. The meeting rooms were really spacious, and I am trying to push my Executive Director to committ to a meeting there, but given his dislike of Disney :confused3 it may take me awhile to break him down. But I am not going to give up on my dream of doing a meeting at Disney. :cloud9:

[Lilo's Mom]

Friday, December 5th
For a change we decided to have some breakfast today, so we headed over to the food court.
DH had the ham and cheese omelet with potatoes.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/BreakfastOmlett.jpg
Which he told me was surprisingly good, the potatoes made a nice change from hash browns, so he was a happy camper.
I decided to have a biscuit and some grits.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/P8160209.jpg
The grits were cold, but thankfully they had a microwave in the food court so I heated them up, added butter, salt and pepper. It was yummy and hit the spot!

Now on to dinner, ever since our trip last year DH wanted to go back to Sci-Fi Dine In. When we were there last August the heat really got to the poor man and he didn’t really get to enjoy his meal. As far as I’m concerned the food at Sci-Fi is average at best, the experience is fun, but it is not one of my favorite places. Yet again we checked in about a half hour early for our reservation, and we were seated immediately. We had the back seat of a car with a family of four that was just about done with their meal. Our waitress, was friendly and attentive, and took our drink order right away, ice tea for me, and diet coke for DH. We decided to share a salad mixed greens salad
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC050188.jpg
DH was disappointed that the salad had so many tomatoes on it, but it was ok with me, so he just pushed them all on my side of the plate. The salad has vinaigrette on it, which was ok, but could have been better.
We both ordered the butcher steak
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC050189.jpg.
The steak was ok, but the steak at Yak & Yeti was much better. For dessert I ordered the cheesecake and DH had chocolate tart.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC050191.jpg
The cheesecake had caramel on it, and was surrounded by m & m’s and caramel popcorn. It was very tasty, and the best part of the meal for me.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC050190.jpg
Now I could be wrong here, but I think the center of the tart wasn’t chocolate, I think it was peanut butter. Whatever it was DH enjoyed it, that and the rotating movie clips on the screen made this meal for him. He wants to go back during our next trip in September 09. We booked that trip with free dining, and have upgraded it to deluxe dining. With more dining on our plan, I will let him make a return trip here…if it was my DD and I traveling, I would skip it, and try something else.

After we were finished at the Disney Studios we headed back to the room…but after about an hour there DH decided he wanted to walk to the Food Court to fill our drink cups. Naturally when we got there he decided we should grab a salad. Sorry no picture of this because I wasn’t anticipating having any more to eat, so I didn’t bring along the camera. We ordered a Greek Salad and another Chicken Caesar. Again the Caesar was good, the Greek Salad, I really didn’t care for. The olives in the salad I don’t think were Kalamata olives, which have been the olives in pretty much every Greek Salad I have ever had. The olives were sliced, green and kind of sweet…and there were so many of them it was kind of hard to try and eat around them. I definitely would not order it again.

Next up we add a person to our plans for Saturday, and that changes our dining!

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

Thanks for your review of Sci-Fi!

[Lilo's Mom]

Saturday, December 6th.
Our oldest DD was engaged to a young man that we just loved, and as luck would have it, they broke up and she married someone else. I am sure that DD would much prefer it if we broke off all contact with her Ex, but it isn’t easy to cut someone out of your life that you have known and loved for 7 years. Since this young man lives in the Orlando area, whenever we are at Disney we invite him along with us. Here is a picture of Brittany and Anthony
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/BobDonna002.jpg
I keep teasing Anthony that he should marry our youngest DD, Kelly, so we can keep him in the family! Anyway, Anthony arrived just as we were getting ready to head to the food court for breakfast, so on the way I stopped to see if I could change our ADR at Raglan Road to include him….unfortunately they were not able to accommodate us, so the CM at concierge talked us into eating at Chefs de France, which was a first for us.
DH and I shared a cheese omelet with bacon on the side for breakfast
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC040067.jpg
The omelet was good, although I did like the ham and cheese one from the other day better. After eating we headed off to Epcot for the day. We took a quick photopass picture.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PhotoPass47.jpg
Epcot wasn’t really crowded DH and Anthony were able to ride Mission Space 5 times in a little over an hour. We headed over to Test Track, but it was down, so we grabbed some FastPasses and the boys decided they wanted to eat. So we headed over to Sunshine Seasons.

I had a bag of chips and an Ice Tea...sorry no picture, LOL, you will just have to imagine the chips and the drink! :rotfl: DH & Anthony both had Mongolian Beef with noodles.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/MongolianBeef.jpg
They both liked it and said that the beef wasn’t chewy or too spicy, so they were both happy.

Then we decided to take a leisurely stroll around World Showcase until it was time for our reservation at Chefs de France. Along the way we stopped and had some Plum Wine in Japan. I love Plum Wine, we have it all the time at home. After our beverage break it was time to check in at Chefs de France. By the time we made it there and checked in we probably only waited 10 minutes before we were seated. Both of the guys ordered the French Onion soup
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC060225.jpg
Which they ate with a roll
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC060226.jpg
And they both had the half roasted chicken with basil mashed potato, and spicy honey sauce
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC060230.jpg.
They both liked the soup, but hated the chicken, and especially hated the mashed potatoes. They both declared that the mashed potatoes tasted funny.:confused3 Maybe it was the basil that they didn't like, I'm not sure.
I had the baked macaroni with cream and gruyere cheese
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC060229.jpg
I really didn’t like this dish at all, first off I expected it to be creamy, it was kind of runny, and the taste was just blah to me.
For dessert the boys had the Crème Brulee (sorry I forgot to take a picture before they decided to devour it). DH enjoyed the Creme Brulee, but not as much as the Maple Creme Brulee from Le Ceiler
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC060232.jpg
And I had the sorbet trio, which I also started to eat before I took a picture
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC060231.jpg
For me the sorbet was tasty and full of great flavor. Before we even left the table we decided this would probably be our one and only time eating here. With so many other great places to eat there are other places we would like to try.

Next, we eat at Kona twice in one day!

[MickeyNicki]

Sorry you did not like Chefs...DH and I ate there in April and had the mac and cheese and it was so thick and creamy and wonderful...we also had the chicken and it was awesome but DH didnt like the mashed potatoes because they had a basil infusion...I loved them and ate them all...

We went right when they opened, maybe the mac and cheese sat for a while and the cream and cheese dried out on you?

[TigerKat]

Great update!:goodvibes

[purpliequeen]

Your reviews are great. Thanks! I look forward to Teppan Edo. Was the ginger cake any good? I always find it so hard to eat dessert (we'll be on the dining plan) in the Epcot restaurants b/c there's so much to nibble on throughout the park and I much prefer Boulangerrie-Patisserie desserts over what they serve in the restaurant.

[Lilo's Mom]

Sorry you did not like Chefs...DH and I ate there in April and had the mac and cheese and it was so thick and creamy and wonderful...we also had the chicken and it was awesome but DH didnt like the mashed potatoes because they had a basil infusion...I loved them and ate them all...

We went right when they opened, maybe the mac and cheese sat for a while and the cream and cheese dried out on you?

It is possible that I did get a bad order of mac and cheese. On the menu the description did sound yummy, and I am a cheese fan, so I was anticipating loving the dish. I guess that could be why I was so disappointed. Your DH and mine had the same problem with the chicken dish, the basil infusion. It was just to much for my hubby, and that killed the meal for him.

Great update!:goodvibes

Thanks TigerKat!

Your reviews are great. Thanks! I look forward to Teppan Edo. Was the ginger cake any good? I always find it so hard to eat dessert (we'll be on the dining plan) in the Epcot restaurants b/c there's so much to nibble on throughout the park and I much prefer Boulangerrie-Patisserie desserts over what they serve in the restaurant.

We both loved the ginger cake. It was really moist and the ginger was not overpowering. DH and I have been on the dining plan every trip we have taken to Disney together...we have the attitude that since we have prepaid for the food, we are going to order the dessert, even if we are full. It doesn't mean we have to eat it all, :laughing: although 99% of the time they are so yummy that we put a large dent in what we ordered. You can always pick a dessert that you can take back to your room and eat later, too. We have a rule while at Disney, cake is an acceptable breakfast when we are on vacation!:rolleyes1

[Lilo's Mom]

Breakfast at Kona & a Short Trip Off Topic

After we said goodbye to Anthony, Bob decided he wanted “real” breakfast. Apparently the breakfasts that we have been eating all along haven’t been real. Since CBR doesn’t have sit down breakfast and we were going to spend the day at the Magic Kingdom, we decided to try to have breakfast at the Poly. When we got there we were told there would be a 45 minute wait…so we grabbed our pager and walked around looking at the Christmas decorations.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC070259.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC070264.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC070262.jpg
A little off topic here....DH and I met and started dating in 1999, and we took our first Disney trip together in 2001 with his kids Brittany then, 17, Anthony(Brit's Boyfriend) 17, and Allen, then 15 along with my daughter Kelly, then 16. The trip was a vacation but also a way for us to see if the kids could get along for an extended period of time...so we rented a house in Orlando and spent 2 weeks there. The kids actually surprised us and made us all dinner one night, and that is when we started to meld as a family. Flash forward to 2002 and the release of Lilo & Stitch, DH and I loved the movie..and the message of Ohana, which basically meant to us that your family is what you make it to be. Valentines Day 2003 we got engaged and April 4, 2004, we had a Hawaiian Themed Wedding in Chicago...complete with a "Ohana Celebration" a honeymoon to Disneyland and Hawaii. As you can probably tell from our dog's name (Lilo) we love all things Hawaiian & Disney.
Here is a picture form our wedding.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Wedding/F6-WeddingPartyHeadTilt.jpg
Bob & I with the dancers we had at the reception
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Wedding/F16-BobDonnawithdancers2.jpg
Part of the floor show the dancers did
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Wedding/F37-barefoothawaiian3.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Wedding/F34-BobDonnadancing2.jpg
And a picture of us for a photoshoot we had on our honeymoon at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Which is funny because it sure looks alot like some of the photopass pictures I have seen of people who had sessions at the Poly!:rotfl: Notice the matching Mickey Aloha Wear?
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Wedding/Decker1.jpg
So why did I suddenly go off on that tangent? When Kelly and I stayed at Pop in the fall, I booked the bounceback offer with free dining at the Polynesian. I have always wanted to stay there, but when I got home, I started to question my decision. DH had been out of work for 18 months before this trip. Did I really want to stay at a deluxe resort for our next stay or did I want to go with another moderate? After walking around we decided to give up the Poly for 2009, and build our bank account back up. DH, really wasn't too happy with CBR, so we modified our reservation and booked Port Orleans Riverside, which is our favorite resort.;) Now if we suddenly win the lottery...it will be Poly here we come! :dance3:


Back to food....When the pager went off and we were seated, our server, Donna, ended up being the same one DD, Kelly and I had on our trip in September! Donna is such a sweetheart, she noticed that my husband had developed a head cold so went and got him some extra napkins before we placed our order.
DH had the French Toast with bacon
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC070269.jpg
And I had the Tonga Toast with sausage
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC070268.jpg
For me Tonga Toast is like a little piece of heaven, the bread, bananas and strawberry sauce are so good, and the sausage is mighty tasty as well. Poor DH said, he wasn’t sure if his French Toast was good or not, he was so stuffed up, he couldn’t taste it! Poor guy! The coffee was another story, that he could taste, and he was very happy. I am not a coffee drinker, I can't even stand the smell of it, but DH lives on coffee, and this was the first cup of coffee he had on property that he enjoyed, so that was a real plus for this meal. After we were done eating we got him some cold tablets from the gift shop, and took a stroll around the resort.
Sorry for so much off topic....up next more food!

[SmallWorld71]

Great reviews so far! :thumbsup2

[TigerKat]

Love your wedding photos!:goodvibes

[Lilo's Mom]

Great reviews so far! :thumbsup2

Thanks for reading along!

Love your wedding photos!:goodvibes
Thank you! We wanted our wedding to be a real Hawaiian Celebration, it turned out even better than I had imagined it would!

[Lilo's Mom]

Good Morning One and All, and Merry Christmas Eve! :santa: And now we return to our regularly scheduled review!

Before we left for our dinner at the Poly we stopped and got our wristbands for that party and had a few PhotoPass pictures taken
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PhotoPass62.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PhotoPass65.jpg

For dinner we had a reservation back at Kona, this time no pager for us, we checked in and were shown right to our table. The cold tablets had kicked in and DH was feeling much better and he was hungry! Our server brought over the bread and butter (sorry no picture) which we both just dived into. I really loved warm bread and butter, and the macadamia nut butter is so good! DH decided we should share an appetizer so we ordered the Wontons. This is actually a picture from our 2007 trip (I guess I was so hungry I just decided to dive right in), the presentation was slightly different from this picture. The Wontons were in a long rectangle dish and there were five of them, and boy were they tasty! I even ate the garnish whichwas tasty and had the ginger soy on it as well!
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/P8170392.jpg

DH decided on the Prime Rib, with Mashed Potatoes. He was able to get an end cut, which he said was very juicy and tender. The mashed potatoes also got a big thumbs up, but the broccolini was just wasted sitting on the plate. As far as DH is concerned there is only one vegetable, and that is corn…he won’t touch anything else. :rotfl:
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC070303.jpg
I had the Teriyaki New York Strip with mashed potatoes and broccolini. I order all of my steaks medium well, which sometimes mean I get a steak that is a little dry..this was not the case, it was cooked perfectly for me. I loved the Teriyaki and pineapples on the steak and the broccolini and potatoes were yummy as well!
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC070304.jpg

For dessert we both had the banana crème Brulee. I thought it was great! :banana: The bottom of the dish had a layer of chocolate and I thought the combination was tasty. DH didn’t like the chocolate on the bottom, but did like the rest of it. For him nothing compares to his Maple Crème Brulee at Le Ceiler.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC070305.jpg
We both liked Kona, although DH feels he couldn’t really properly judge the breakfast since he wasn’t feeling well when we ate. But he does want to come back to try the Macadamia Pancakes, and said he would do dinner there again as well.

After dinner we headed back to the Magic Kingdom for MVMCP. The crowd level was pretty good for the attractions, long for the photo opps, so we reluctantly skipped those. During the course of the evening we shared a pretzel, and later had hot chocolate and cookies. No pictures of those, the batteries in my camera died and I didn’t buy a new set until just right before the fireworks. The hot chocolate was yummy and helped to keep us warm, it was 45 and cold, but not as bad as it was at the candle light processional, which I think was around 39. We at least dressed for cold weather, there were so many people at the party that were walking around with blankets to keep the warm. Here is our picture as we were heading out of the park
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PhotoPass70.jpg

Next our last meals of the trip!

[Lilo's Mom]

Breakfast today was a breakfast sandwich (egg, bacon, cheese) for DH, which was really very good sized and freshly made, so he enjoyed it.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/P8160208.jpg
For me I had pancakes and sausage. You know for me some reason everything I got at the CBR food court was just not warm enough for me. In this case the pancakes were kind of dry too, even with syrup on them.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/P8160211.jpg

When we were done with breakfast DH went to go check out and I went searching for a family in the food court that I could give three of our CS credits to. Ironically the first two families I found that were not on the dining plan, pretty much thought I was crazy asking them if I could buy their breakfast. The third family was so sweet and listened to me explain that I wanted to buy their breakfast by using my left over credits. They were so appreciative and thrilled that they got two drinks instead of one! It felt great to pass along some Disney Magic, and bring a smile to faces of strangers. DH finally caught up to me and we headed to the bus to Downtown Disney and Goofy’s Kitchen. Thankfully when we got there, we were the only customers there…since we had 12 snack credits to use I wanted to take full advantage of that. So I grabbed my trusty pencil and began filling out forms for my treats. (FYI all of the pictures were taken when we got home…and we are still eating the treats today!)
First I did a caramel apple dipped in milk chocolate, topped with sprinkles and caramel drizzle.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC080017.jpg
Then I made marshmallows dipped in Dark Chocolate, rolled in crushed oreo’s then drizzled with white chocolate
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC140041.jpg
Next two sets of pretzel rods dipped in milk chocolate, rolled in mini white & dark chocolate chips and drizzled with caramel.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC140042.jpg
And the last of my treats was a fudge cookie dipped in milk chocolate with holiday sprinkles and white chocolate drizzle.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC140039.jpg
DH likes one treat, and that is Mickey Rice Krispy Treats…which he didn’t want to customize, he wanted them the way they were.:confused3
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/Disney%20Xmas%202008/PC140038.jpg

While I was busy in Goofy’s kitchen, Bob was outside smoking. As he was standing there he felt a light touch on his arm, he turned and there was a woman there that smiled at him and handed him an envelope and walked away. When I walked out with the treats he was standing there holding the envelope. We decided to walk to Wolfgang Puck and order sandwiches to go so we would have something to eat on our trip home. We placed the order for two roast beef and cheddar sandwiches and then sat down to open the envelope. It was a Christmas card with a message of thanks and support for being a member of the military. Bob was immediately distressed because he is not in the military, and felt he got the card under false pretenses. You see he has always loved the Air Force, and deeply regrets not joining when he was younger. He loves building models of military planes so I bought him a Air Force jacket…which he wore the entire trip. Although the card didn’t make it to the person the sender intended, it never the less achieved it’s purpose…it brought joy to Bob. You see Bob lost his job 18 months ago. The last year and a half have been very difficult for us, and we almost cancelled this trip to use the money for bills, then he finally got a job, so we decided to take the trip as a celebration. The card gave Bob the feeling that there are still caring people in the world, and for him it was the turning point from the last months of rejection and sadness. Ironically, the card was signed and had a mailing address for a couple that lived a few suburbs away from us. When we got home Bob wrote them a letter and mailed it back…the couple, Bill & Shirley called him back and were moved by his letter. We recently got a Christmas Card from them, it’s a Photo Pass picture with Pooh, Tigger and Eyeore…I don’t know if they are on these boards (I haven’t had a chance to ask) but they are Christmas Angels! Thanks Bill & Shirley:hug:

Up next eating Wolfgang Puck on the plane makes people jealous…and final thoughts.:thumbsup2

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

Mmmmm....your treats from Goofy's Candy Co. look so yummy. I have never customized some before but it's on the top of our to-do list for next month's trip!

[SunnieRN]

Fantastic report and pictures! Your wedding pics are fantastic and congratulations to your husband on his new job!

[got2luvtink]

Wow, that's a really touching story! I'm really enjoying your DR. My kids really want to go to Chef's, but I've reading some really bad reviews lately. So, I don't know...

I've wanted to go to LeCellier for some time now, but since they took the Maple BBQ filet off the menu that everyone raved about, I haven't gone. What are your absolute must haves from this restuarant? From reading, it would seem the maple cream brulee is a must have for your husband at least...:goodvibes

[danalee]

I loved your reviews! We also love anything Hawian & Disney! We have been blessed with hubby's job to go to Maui and stay at the Grand Waliea twice, breathtaking sums it up nicely!:cloud9:
I so want to stay at the Poly (and will someday) maybe when hubby and I go to Disney alone but that wont be for awhile so its always something to look forward to! Maybe we will be there at the same time!:goodvibes

I was glad to read your hubby got a new job and things are looking up, congrats & Happy New Year!!!

[Lilo's Mom]

Thanks everyone for reading! Sorry I have been away so long, I have been swamped at work.

Wow, that's a really touching story! I'm really enjoying your DR. My kids really want to go to Chef's, but I've reading some really bad reviews lately. So, I don't know...

I've wanted to go to LeCellier for some time now, but since they took the Maple BBQ filet off the menu that everyone raved about, I haven't gone. What are your absolute must haves from this restuarant? From reading, it would seem the maple cream brulee is a must have for your husband at least...:goodvibes

I really love the Mushroom Filet at LeCellier, I usually order it with the cream cheese mashed potatoes. I am also a big fan of the cheese soup, but I know it is not for everyone. I know lots of people that think the beer in the soup is overpowering, for me I hardly notice it.

I loved your reviews! We also love anything Hawian & Disney! We have been blessed with hubby's job to go to Maui and stay at the Grand Waliea twice, breathtaking sums it up nicely!:cloud9:
I so want to stay at the Poly (and will someday) maybe when hubby and I go to Disney alone but that wont be for awhile so its always something to look forward to! Maybe we will be there at the same time!:goodvibes

I was glad to read your hubby got a new job and things are looking up, congrats & Happy New Year!!!

Lucky you getting to stay at the Grand Waliea twice! What does your hubby do? I love to travel and get to 3 or 4 times a year with my job...although they have never sent me to Hawaii. We love Kailua Beach on Oahu, the last time we stayed in Maui, my hubby flipped an ATV and broke his arm, and needed surgery. Rather than cut our vacation short and fly home and have the operation, he opted to have his arm wrapped and finish the last week of our trip.
BTW....I understand the "New Kids Thing" :rotfl: I am addicted to the new CD, and Dirty Dancing is the ringtone on my phone...what can I saw, I may be 48 on the outside...but most of the time I act like I am still a teenager. Thanks for the congratulations on my hubby's new job! :)

[Lilo's Mom]

Heading Home
We had a flight out of Orlando at 3:45 so we were on Magical Express by 1 pm, and at the airport by 2 pm. It was a full flight so it took awhile for everyone to get situated so we were probably running about 15 minutes late. As soon as the Captain gave the go ahead to unfasten seatbelts and the use of tray tables, DH and I were pulling out the Wolfgang Puck and eating our lunch. Here’s a picture I took of the sandwich before we boarded.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/Drlady729/PC080010.jpg
The Roast Beef & Cheddar is described as this: thinly sliced Niman Ranch beef, sharp cheddar, mixed baby greens, tomato, Horseradish sauce and Dijon Aioli. I had the sandwich exactly the way it came, and DH had it with just Roast Beef and Cheese. My goodness this sandwich was yummy! The Yukon Gold Parmesan Potato Chips were excellent as well. The sandwich is actually served warm, but it was great cold as well. We each had a chocolate chip cookie with our sandwiches….sadly the cookie was only average. As we were eating other passengers that were passing kept asking us if we bought the meal on the plane, lol, there was some serious sandwich envy going on during that flight! Anyway, after a change of planes in Atlanta we finally back in Chicago a little after 8.

Closing thoughts
Le Celier never gets old for us, and is by far our favorite place to go, Yak & Yeti & Teppan Edo were really enjoyable and we would do them again. Personally I could skip Sci-Fi Dine and it wouldn’t break my heart. I do like Kona, but I may like breakfast there better than I do dinner. Chef’s De France is also a place I would skip. Since we have upgraded from free dining to deluxe we are going to try some new places on the next trip. I am thinking Yachtsman, Raglan Road, Jiko & Biergarten along with a return to Narcoose’s and few of our other favorites. I wish I could talk DH into giving Boma another try, we were there last in August 2007, and he really didn’t like it. I have until March 31st to formulate a plan of action, so until then I will keep an eye on the boards to help me come up with a plan.

Thank you all for reading along, and for posting your dining reviews as well! Without all of you here on the boards I wouldn't have tried anything new.:flower3:

[danalee]

Lucky you getting to stay at the Grand Waliea twice! What does your hubby do? I love to travel and get to 3 or 4 times a year with my job...although they have never sent me to Hawaii. We love Kailua Beach on Oahu, the last time we stayed in Maui, my hubby flipped an ATV and broke his arm, and needed surgery. Rather than cut our vacation short and fly home and have the operation, he opted to have his arm wrapped and finish the last week of our trip.
BTW....I understand the "New Kids Thing" :rotfl: I am addicted to the new CD, and Dirty Dancing is the ringtone on my phone...what can I saw, I may be 48 on the outside...but most of the time I act like I am still a teenager. Thanks for the congratulations on my hubby's new job! :)[/QUOTE]

Would you believe that he is a tractor salesman! I kid you not, the store he works for has had high sales and that how he got the trips, he is the top salesman! They get them through the tractor distributers, this years trip is a cruise and just his boss & wife are getting to go, but thats ok we want the Maui trip again!;)
New Kids ahhhh my goodness havent they grown up well:thumbsup2 still make me a little weak in the knees even now!:cloud9:

[emmabemmainc]

Thank you so much for taking the time to post your reviews! They were some of the best I've read on here--I loved seeing the wedding pics too--how fun!!! :)

[Ciciwoowoo]

I loved your review! :goodvibes

Thank you also for the story about the lady and the thank you for being in the military card. We have a tentative trip planned for this year at Thanksgiving, and I am going to borrow that idea!

[hippsmom]

Here's a tip for the next time you'd like a ressie for Raglan Road. I tried to get a ressie through Disney Dining and it was a no go. I was able to get the exact time and date I wanted through OpenTable.com. This wouldn't work if you don't have internet access unless you could call RR directly.

[Lilo's Mom]

Would you believe that he is a tractor salesman! I kid you not, the store he works for has had high sales and that how he got the trips, he is the top salesman! They get them through the tractor distributers, this years trip is a cruise and just his boss & wife are getting to go, but thats ok we want the Maui trip again!;)
New Kids ahhhh my goodness havent they grown up well:thumbsup2 still make me a little weak in the knees even now!:cloud9:

When My hubby and I were just dating he won a trip for top customer support with his former job. They sent him to Arizona, the year after he won, the trip was to Hawaii. :rotfl: We still joke about that today.

When the New Kids first came out I really wanted to got to their concert, but figured I was not exactly the average fan since I was in my 20's...so I took my niece Jaime, who was 12. Jaime made me a shirt to wear to the concert it said "Old Kid On the Block". Flash forward to fall 2008 and Jaime's husband shells out $300 for a single ticket for her to go to the concert...I had one of those shirts made for her! What comes around goes around!:rotfl: I do think they have aged very nicely!

Thank you so much for taking the time to post your reviews! They were some of the best I've read on here--I loved seeing the wedding pics too--how fun!!! :)

Thank you! Since Bob and I had both been married before and had huge weddings (my first wedding we had 20 people in the wedding party, and a reception for 550 attendees....Bob's was a wedding party of 10 and a reception for 280) we decided we wanted ours to be small and fun. Our wedding party was our kids and a few of their friends that we have known since they were in diapers...you know the kind of kids that are at your home so much they are almost your own? We had 75 guests all close friends and family, and the Hawaiian dancers for entertainment. It was a great party!

I loved your review! :goodvibes

Thank you also for the story about the lady and the thank you for being in the military card. We have a tentative trip planned for this year at Thanksgiving, and I am going to borrow that idea!

Thank you for reading. I too loved the card idea for our service men and women. I remember the first flight I took after September 11th, and the reaction on the plane when a group of servicemen boarded...there was applause, and it was very moving. I think the idea of the card is a wonderful way to remind them that what they do is appreciated and never forgotten.

Here's a tip for the next time you'd like a ressie for Raglan Road. I tried to get a ressie through Disney Dining and it was a no go. I was able to get the exact time and date I wanted through OpenTable.com. This wouldn't work if you don't have internet access unless you could call RR directly.

You know I use Open Table all the time for work. I never would have thought of that!;) This trip I purposely left my laptop at home, it was enough that work had my cell phone number and was calling me on that! Next time I think I will bring my laptop along, that way I can try to do a live dining review!

[DWFan4Life]

Yes, eating is one of the best part having a trip to Disney. You have great pics, all are awesome. Looking forward to other pics to come. :)

Have a nice day everyone. :)