Team Renfroe's 2nd Trip Report - 1,500 pictures, dining reviews, and DISmeets!

[brookelizabeth]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

I am sure your customers will be forgiving and understanding of your first few days. If the dogs are good, they will be back! And, I'm certain the dogs are good because you are drawing the crowds - word of mouth travels fast! :goodvibes

I'll keep watching the Food Network for your appearance!!!

Loved the MMM pictures too - the group shots are great!

[karajeboo]

Oh gosh! Our new hot dog restaurant has been covered up since Friday! I know that sounds like a good thing, but we were not prepared for the crowds to be this BIG. We are hopeful that our first customers will be forgiving for the amount of time it is taking us to fill their orders. It is INSANITY. I've got to double my staff immediately.

Anyway, I will respond to everyone as I get an opportunity. I just wanted to let you all know that B.F. Dawgs is open for business.....and I haven't rested since! (I've actually LOST 6 pounds in the last 4 days.)

More pictures from the Mammoth May Meet coming up.

Alan

THRILLED for you! Seriously, success couldn't happen to a nicer family! :thumbsup2 But BF Dawgs better not come between you and your TR!!!! ;)

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

GREAT report so far! I just got thru all of day 1. I appreciate your advice on the WCC, to save it for a not so tired day...lol! Looking forward to when I can sit and read more :goodvibes

[ph-mtl]

Hi Alan,

Best of luck with your restaurant. There is such a large choice to choose from. Enjoying your Pictures and TR Report.

[SunnieRN]

Congratulations on your success Renfroes!!! Wish I were near enough to come and eat!! Looking forward to more trip reporting when you can!

[DisneyJo]

Sounds as though your restaurant is a huge success, congratulations :goodvibes

[crocko]

Alan, did you survive another weekend?

[MagicShell]

I know where Greenwood and Greenville are. Is Olive Branch close to either of those?
Yep, most grandmothers are in favor of a law that grandchildren should be required to live no more than two hours from their grandparents! :lmao:We don't mind if the parents live there too! :thumbsup2

Not really close to those. We live at the very top of the state in the Northwest corner. It is good to know that grandparents will still tolerate their own children.:rotfl:

[MagicShell]

I am so happy that your hot dog business is going well. I hope it keeps up and you can keep up.

[englishrose47]

Just checking in Alan!! The Hot Dawg Business mus be Great !!!Either that or you are buy practising your next entrance into Epcot on the wire wearing a TuTu !!!:rotfl2: Then Ellen could post a ITSA pix of you!!!:lmao: We could compare the ITSK ad the ITSA!!:rotfl:

[ckdsnynt]

Not really close to those. We live at the very top of the state in the Northwest corner. It is good to know that grandparents will still tolerate their own children.:rotfl:

Well, darn. I guess I am going to have to get out a MS map and check this out!

Well, yes, I do manage to tolerate my son, :rotfl2: but sometimes, he makes it difficult!:lmao: Such as, when I babysit for them so they can have a night out (when I go see the little whippersnappers!). He leaves me a list of "reminders" of do's and don't's! Did he forget that I raised him and he turned out just fine?:laughing: Anyway, as soon as they are out the drive, the list goes with him! More or less! We do the important things, like no candy for meals, no jumping on the furniture, no setting fires, etc. But the silly rules (like not wearing your swimsuit in the house). Hey, that's a dumb rule so we just kinda forget that one! DDIL is okay with enforcing the main rules, just DS that's a stickler. I get my share of lectures! My rule of thumb is, enforce the rules that will get DGD in trouble when I leave because I don't want her to get in trouble and make her life difficult after I am gone. I think both her parents probably know that's what is going on anyway! It's just really hard when the other set of grandparents get to see the grandkids several times a week. They really don't know how lucky they are! Not complaining about them, they are very nice people and they raised a great daughter. I truly love my DIL. Sorry, OT.

Alan: great success I see. Couldn't happen to a nicer family!

[alan_renfroe]

Alan,

So glad to hear that your restaurant opening was a complete success. I guess I missed your website link somewhere. Post it again please 'cause I wanna come look.

I love love love the photopass picture of the meet.

Thanks! Sure - here is the web address: bfdawgs.com

Great MMM pics. There I am with that yummy drinl. Oh Yeah! Glad the opening went so well. Hope the hiring goes well.

LOL!! Yeah, I thought you would get a kick out of that picture! Those Orange Grand Marnier Slushies are awesome on a hot day!

It certainly was a pleasure getting to meet you and your family. Thanks for the great wishes on the restaurant!

So happy for you guys that the opening was such a success!

YAY! Things are going well with the restaurant!

Congrats Alan on the Great Grand Opening!!!! Hope you continue to do well. :banana:

Thanks! I'm hoping we continue to do well also. So far, so good!

Alan- sounds like the opening was a HUGE success. I am THRILLED! :goodvibes

Thanks, Christine. We figured in these tough economic times you can at least count on these things: (1) people have got to eat, (2) people have lifestyles that require them to eat out frequently, (3) people are more likely to eat out if there is an inexpensive product. So far, it seems to be working well! We are already discussing the possibility of building another B.F. Dawgs in another college town.

Congrats on your opening!! Looks like you'll be able to afford an extra Disney trip or two!!!:woohoo:

Well, we'll be paying off debts for quite a while, but afterwards....WOO HOO!

Alan that is so great about the opening!! I checked out the website & it is great!!! I will take a Smokey Mountain Sundae please. That sounds so good.
More great pics of the meet.

The Smokey Mountain Sundae has been a hit so far!

Alan,

Don't forget to post some pics of your restaurant's opening!!

Regards,

Luis

We have been so busy, we haven't even taken any pictures! I will get some and post them.

Congratulations on your opening weekend success! :goodvibes

Thanks very much!

How wonderful that you are having so many customers. You must be doing a good job marketing to have drawn those crowds. Hope things smooth out with staffing etc.

It was very nice to see the large group you had for your meet. I can't believe that you still found time to post the pictures.

Keep up the good work on the TR. Definitely looking forward to more!!!

Well, I don't know about the marketing aspect. One of the cool things about living in a small town is that EVERYBODY will try something new. SO, we are seeing that initial surge of folks who are just curious to experience the new restaurant in town! That being said, we have had numerous repeat customers already.

Although it is tough to find time to do everything, this report WILL CONTINUE!

Alan, so stoked for yo! although I knew it would be a success! Congrats infinity! and wow that is a Mammoth size pic!

What's up IUM! Thanks for the well-wishes.

Congrats Renfroe Family! Happy to hear opening weekend was a success! Can't wait to see a picture of the Pittsburgh Dawg when it's a special! Pixie Dust wishes for continued success!

Thanks very much!

Alan and Family, congratulations on the huge success of opening weekend. This is great news! Wishing you continued success.

:dance3::yay::yay::woohoo:

Thanks, Kathy! We are very excited...but tired!

[ckdsnynt]

Alan: I think you hit on a perfect product - hot dogs. Can't go wrong with those! Almost everybody loves them or at least can find some type they can eat with the menu you have! Congrats again! Don't wear yourself down too much!:thumbsup2

[alan_renfroe]

I told my husband last night that he's going to have to stop by one day when he's in Jacksonville. He works in Alexandria and so he frequently gets a salad at the Rocket but I told him he's gonna have to stop by for a hotdog one day! Congrats on being SUPER busy!

Thanks very much! Tell your hubby to be sure to let us know he's the one from the DISboards - i just think that is cool! Oh, and if you like the Rocket, you should try the Memphis dawg. Awesome!

:banana::banana: I'm so happy for you and your family!:banana::banana: May your success continue! Loved the pics of the meet. Can't wait to read more!!

Thanks very much! More of the report is on the way.

Congrats to Team Renfroe on their opening weekend !! Looking forward topix of the Opening !!!!

YAY! Thanks Rosie!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

I am sure your customers will be forgiving and understanding of your first few days. If the dogs are good, they will be back! And, I'm certain the dogs are good because you are drawing the crowds - word of mouth travels fast! :goodvibes

I'll keep watching the Food Network for your appearance!!!

Loved the MMM pictures too - the group shots are great!

Thanks Brooke. Since that first day, everything seems to be coming together much better. We still don't have it all figured out - but at least we are doing a good job of faking it! You are right about word of mouth - we've been getting a lot of folks from other restaurants coming in because their customers have been telling them about good our hot dogs are! That's cool!

Oh, I SOOOOO want us to be on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives! We are a total dive, complete with decopage tables, vintage Coca-Cola items, and root beer floats!

THRILLED for you! Seriously, success couldn't happen to a nicer family! :thumbsup2 But BF Dawgs better not come between you and your TR!!!! ;)

Thanks, Kara! We are very thrilled for all of this to be happening. As busy as we are, we VOW to not let life get in the way of our DISboarding!

GREAT report so far! I just got thru all of day 1. I appreciate your advice on the WCC, to save it for a not so tired day...lol! Looking forward to when I can sit and read more :goodvibes

Thanks a bunch! The report will continue after this post.

Hi Alan,

Best of luck with your restaurant. There is such a large choice to choose from. Enjoying your Pictures and TR Report.

Thanks very much!

Congratulations on your success Renfroes!!! Wish I were near enough to come and eat!! Looking forward to more trip reporting when you can!

Thanks, SunnieRN! More on the report is coming up.

Sounds as though your restaurant is a huge success, congratulations :goodvibes

Thanks, DisneyJo. So far, so good!

Alan, did you survive another weekend?

Survive is a very accurate word. It was insanity, but in a good way! Our original plan was to have a staff of about 6 or 7. We hired our 15th employee yesterday!

I am so happy that your hot dog business is going well. I hope it keeps up and you can keep up.

Thanks very much! To quote early R.E.M. - I am (I am), I am Super Man, and I can do anything.

Just checking in Alan!! The Hot Dawg Business mus be Great !!!Either that or you are buy practising your next entrance into Epcot on the wire wearing a TuTu !!!:rotfl2: Then Ellen could post a ITSA pix of you!!!:lmao: We could compare the ITSK ad the ITSA!!:rotfl:

Too hot in Alabama right now for a tutu. Perhaps a thong? :rotfl2:


Alan: great success I see. Couldn't happen to a nicer family!

Awww....thanks!

[alan_renfroe]

So when we last left off, we were all having a wonderful time at the Mammoth May Meet. Ellen had arranged for a PhotoPass photographer and a group photo of everyone. And in true Disney-Magic-Fashion, Disney had arranged for a special character to come to the meet!

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The Mammoth May Meet turned out to be a huge success! It was like a big family reunion....only without the your cousin Eddie showing up! We had a wonderful time meeting everyone and it really brought the DISboards to life for us. :grouphug:

When we were getting our group photo made, there were actually passers by that were taking pictures of our group as well! I think they thought we were famous or something! I tried to take a picture of other people taking OUR picture!

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After having a great time at the meet, several of us decided to walk to the U.K. for a beer at the Rose & Crown. Jason (colinsdad) made good on a promise and bought my first beer - a Guiness, of course!

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Here are a few pictures of our group at the Rose & Crown:

From left to right: Lonnie, Cammie (camster0307), Ellen (podsnel), Kara (below Ellen) (karajeboo), and Jason (colinsdad).

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My son, Wil, took this picture for us. From left to right: JohnEric, Lonnie, Cammie, Ellen, Kara, Jason, and me.

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Wil was such a good sport, Cammie insisted that we take a picture of him taking a picture of us!

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For about a year now, we've been reading Cammie's trip reports. My daughter, Juliana, thinks that Cammie's youngest daughter, Lauren, is the greatest thing EVAH!! She was SOOOO hoping to meet Lauren....but Cammie of course was on the DIS Mom's Gone Wild trip, sans children. Anyway, Juliana insisted on buying Lauren a gift and having Cammie take it back to her. We made sure to get a picture of Juliana and Cammie holding up the photos of her two daughters, Amanda and Lauren.

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Lauren, being the polite young lady that she is, wrote Juliana a very nice thank you note and mailed it to her. It thrilled Juliana to DEATH!!! She is all about this DISboard thing! We are hopeful that we can meet up with Cammie sometime when the girls are with her. Of course, we are hopeful that we get an opportunity to meet up with EVERYONE from MMM again! We really met some wonderful friends!

:grouphug:

After saying goodbye to everyone, alas it was time to leave the group and continue our vacation.

Coming up next - dinner at 'Ohana....and LOTS of it!

Alan

[micandminforever]

Thanks for posting the pictures, everyone looks so happy. You can tell everyone was having a blast.party: It was great about your surprise guest.

Congratulations on your continued success at the restaurant.

[stepdisney]

Aw. I wish that I could have made it. You have to plan a trip during free dining some time. It is super value season and we'd all love to have a mega mammoth meet meet II. Great pictures.

[lovedonaldduck]

Great pictures of everyone, looks like you all had a blast!

Can't wait to hear about Ohana, we will be there in less than 2 months!

[crocko]

Very fun.....and cool that they sent Aurora out to join in for some fun and pics.

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Another great update! How sweet of your daughter to buy that gift! Can't wait for your Ohana review. We are planning on going there and have heard a lot of great things about it!

[pmama]

Wow, there really are a lot of people staring in the picture you took while posing. In fact, I think everyone is staring.:lmao:

[karajeboo]

Just checking in Alan!! The Hot Dawg Business mus be Great !!!Either that or you are buy practising your next entrance into Epcot on the wire wearing a TuTu !!!:rotfl2: Then Ellen could post a ITSA pix of you!!!:lmao: We could compare the ITSK ad the ITSA!!:rotfl:


Can the board really handle TWO I'm Too Sexy pics???? :rotfl2:

[podsnel]

Can the board really handle TWO I'm Too Sexy pics???? :rotfl2:

Well, if it can, I'm sure I'll be the one to take it!:rolleyes: That meet was a great time- i LOVE that you took a pic of the people taking our picture- that was sooo hilarious!!!:rotfl2:

[alan_renfroe]

Hi Team Renfroe! Just stopping by with a little ITSK (I'm-too-sexy-Kara) for your TR!! And LOOK! Some of you Renfroes are in the pic with her!!! Lucky dogs!!!:rotfl2:

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Have a nice day!:goodvibes


OMG! Kara, I JUST NOW saw this post! You, my friend, are HILARIOUS!!! The Renfroe's were so blessed just to be in your presence!! :worship: WE ARE NOT WORTHY!

[alan_renfroe]

Thanks for posting the pictures, everyone looks so happy. You can tell everyone was having a blast.party: It was great about your surprise guest.

Congratulations on your continued success at the restaurant.

Absolutely!!! What could be better than meeting new friends, drinking beer, being on vacation at Disney World??? Yep - we were definitely happy!

Aw. I wish that I could have made it. You have to plan a trip during free dining some time. It is super value season and we'd all love to have a mega mammoth meet meet II. Great pictures.

I would love to go during free dining, but my job prohibits me from being off very much during the fall season. I LOVE the MEGA mammoth idea!

Great pictures of everyone, looks like you all had a blast!

Can't wait to hear about Ohana, we will be there in less than 2 months!

Ahhh....Ohana....wish I was going there for dinner tonight!

Very fun.....and cool that they sent Aurora out to join in for some fun and pics.

Yeah, we thought that was a neat touch that Disney arranged for a character to come out and meet with our group. It made us feel special!

Another great update! How sweet of your daughter to buy that gift! Can't wait for your Ohana review. We are planning on going there and have heard a lot of great things about it!

Juliana is a sweet girl. In the weeks leading up to our trip, she was so captivated with Lauren in Cammie's trip report from Feb.

Wow, there really are a lot of people staring in the picture you took while posing. In fact, I think everyone is staring.:lmao:

I know right? I just thought it was hilarious that other people who were NOT part of our group wanted to stop and get our group photo. Hmm...

Can the board really handle TWO I'm Too Sexy pics???? :rotfl2:

ABSO-freakin-LUTELY! (I had to go back a few pages to catch this one...but now I'm up to speed. Sorry!)

Well, if it can, I'm sure I'll be the one to take it!:rolleyes: That meet was a great time- i LOVE that you took a pic of the people taking our picture- that was sooo hilarious!!!:rotfl2:

Hi Ellen! As I am looking back at these pictures, it makes me realize just what a great time we really did have! Next time, we may have to carve out a little more R&C time....maybe even ADRs and a meal. :idea:

[alan_renfroe]

So after leaving our new-found friends at the Rose & Crown, we walked back over to France to pick up a French rolling pin Elizabeth had been wanting since she first saw it last year.

While in the shops, we found several t-shirts and aprons that would've been SOOO perfect for Elizabeth!

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After that, we started heading back over to Future World. It was now about 5:00pm and we had reservations at 'Ohana at 6:45pm. Wil was really wanting to do the Universe of Energy, since we had never experienced that attraction before.

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Usually there is little or no wait for this attraction, but we must've shown up at the wrong time. We waited...and waited....and finally the doors opened about 5:20pm. I happened to notice a sign that said the attraction lasted for about 45 minutes. Since we still had to catch a monorail and then change monorails at the TTC, I didn't think we had enough time for the attraction. Wil was NOT happy with me at all. I think all of us were really very tired and drained from the sun at this point....and starting to get cranky. Despite Wil's protests, we headed for the exit and the monorail. We took a few pics along the way:

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We caught the monorail to the TTC, then changed to the resort monorail.

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We finally arrived at 'Ohana. On our last trip, we had eaten breakfast here and loved it. We had been very excited about this meal for a long time.

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I was just soooo tired. I had planned to try the Lapu Lapu....but I knew if I had a drink I would probably pass out from exhaustion.

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This day had been a wonderful day....but the heat had really gotten to me. It was the only day of the entire trip that we did not have a mid-day break of some sort...and now we were paying the price.

So, what's the cure for that? A big dinner, of course! Our review of dinner at 'Ohana is coming up next.

Alan

[Shazzie B]

Hope you liked Ohana dinner as much as we did:goodvibes

[karajeboo]

It WAS hot that day, wasn't it????? I was afraid to drink much and just kept guzzling water that afternoon. Of course, the girls changed my mind later on.... peer pressure! :rolleyes1

But at least it was a DRY day.......

[englishrose47]

Great Update as usual Alan !!!Ellen has been busy amusing us with ITSK in your absence:lmao:What I really wanta know is How is the Hot Dawg Businesss !!!!????:banana:
You said aug/ sept free dining was out , well how about June of 2012 for the Peep Fest ??????:banana:

[portocall]

So glad the business gave you a minute to provide us with some updates... now that review of Ohana... I hope that it was everything you were hoping for!

Too bad you couldn't make time for the Universe of Energy... you might have found a 45 minute afternoon break you were looking for. I don't know why but I had always found that ride a bit of a snooze, but great for aching feet!

[SunnieRN]

Woo hoo!! The MMM rocked! I love Rose in her tiara, too cute! I'm glad Elizabeth got her rolling pin!! Looking forward to your O'hana review!! Poor Renfroes, if anyone has read your trip reports we know that for Wil to get cranky you all must have been VERY hot and tired!

[nettii]

Your MMM looked amazing and fun! Way to go Disney with the special guest! Im also glad to here your grand opening went well! Your daughter what a sweetie! When your kids do great things it just makes you so happy like your doing something right. Good job!
We Love Ohanas cant wait to hear how you guys enjoyed it.
Nettii:goodvibes

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

WOW! You guys look like you need a break! Hope that yummy dinner was a good pick-me-up! Waiting to hear!!!

[lovedonaldduck]

No afternoon break makes for a rough evening. :scared1: I hope dinner went well.

[inkedupmomma]

again, awesome pics! I can't wait for dis meets this September now more than ever!

[MagicShell]

Nice group shots. That Aurora was very pretty. I hope your meal goes well and that everyone feels better after you eat. I personally don't think Wil missed anything not being able to see Universe of Energy. I have only seen it once and don't plan to see it again.

[alan_renfroe]

Hope you liked Ohana dinner as much as we did:goodvibes

Oh we did! Definitely!

It WAS hot that day, wasn't it????? I was afraid to drink much and just kept guzzling water that afternoon. Of course, the girls changed my mind later on.... peer pressure! :rolleyes1

But at least it was a DRY day.......

We are from Alabama....so we know all about hot...but that day was so ridiculously 4th degree of hell hot. I hate getting all sweaty! I know what you mean about drinking on a day like that. I think I would have been much better off if I had not had that beer at lunch at Le Cellier. I was pretty much sluggish from that point on. The next time we have a meet in will be IN AIR CONDITIONING!!!

Great Update as usual Alan !!!Ellen has been busy amusing us with ITSK in your absence:lmao:What I really wanta know is How is the Hot Dawg Businesss !!!!????:banana:
You said aug/ sept free dining was out , well how about June of 2012 for the Peep Fest ??????:banana:

Ellen and Kara are ALWAYS amusing! I'm so glad I had the chance to meet all of you.

The Hot Dawg business is rockin'! We are doing almost double what we thought we would do....of course that comes with a price....now we've had to double the size of our staff and purchase more goods in order to keep up. At least those are GOOD problems, right?

Oh yeah, I am totally in for June 2012. Elizabeth wants me to take her to WDW for her 40th Birthday, which will be in 2012.

So glad the business gave you a minute to provide us with some updates... now that review of Ohana... I hope that it was everything you were hoping for!

Too bad you couldn't make time for the Universe of Energy... you might have found a 45 minute afternoon break you were looking for. I don't know why but I had always found that ride a bit of a snooze, but great for aching feet!

Ohana was wonderful! The only thing that wasn't stellar was the fact that we were all in hot, sweaty, sticky clothes. I just wanted a shower and an iced water.

Spoiler Alert! (We actually did get to do the Universe of Energy later in the week.)

Woo hoo!! The MMM rocked! I love Rose in her tiara, too cute! I'm glad Elizabeth got her rolling pin!! Looking forward to your O'hana review!! Poor Renfroes, if anyone has read your trip reports we know that for Wil to get cranky you all must have been VERY hot and tired!

Yeah, the MMM did rock! We thought about you....so you were sort of there in spirit. Maybe next time we'll get to meet you, TigerKat, BrookeElizabeth, KatMark, Inkedupmomma, Luis, and many of our other DISbuds!

Poor Renfroes is right. We were DRAGGING! This was the one and only day where there wasn't a mid-day break of some sort. For us, that was a mistake.

Your MMM looked amazing and fun! Way to go Disney with the special guest! Im also glad to here your grand opening went well! Your daughter what a sweetie! When your kids do great things it just makes you so happy like your doing something right. Good job!
We Love Ohanas cant wait to hear how you guys enjoyed it.
Nettii:goodvibes

Thanks, Nettii! We are very proud of our children. They both have big hearts and are very well behaved....except for fighting with EACH OTHER!!! geesshh....

WOW! You guys look like you need a break! Hope that yummy dinner was a good pick-me-up! Waiting to hear!!!

Uh....yeah....a break would have been really, really, really, really nice. (That's four reallys, for emphasis.) As yummy as dinner was, I thought I was going to fall asleep at the table.

No afternoon break makes for a rough evening. :scared1: I hope dinner went well.

Oh, you got that right! We will learn from the experience!

again, awesome pics! I can't wait for dis meets this September now more than ever!

Wish I could be a part of that September meet. Alas, duty calls.

Nice group shots. That Aurora was very pretty. I hope your meal goes well and that everyone feels better after you eat. I personally don't think Wil missed anything not being able to see Universe of Energy. I have only seen it once and don't plan to see it again.

Last year, Wil didn't even want to do the Universe of Energy...but for some reason, he was all upset about not getting to do that on this particular day.

[englishrose47]

Hi Alan !! Glad the Dawg busines is doing sooo well!!!
Glad you are in for June 2012 ! Jordan is celebrating 50, me 65 and now Elizabeth 40!!! All very celebratable birthdays !!!:banana::banana::banana:
I see "Momma" has some meets planned , not sure when or where ???:confused3

[alan_renfroe]

We had allowed plenty of time to get from Epcot to the Polynesian for dinner at 'Ohana, and ended up being about 30 minutes early for our reservations. We checked in and were seated right about the time of our reservation.

We were seated and the first thing brought to our table was the friendship bread.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-214.jpg

Our server was okay, but not great. She was very, very slow to refill our drinks, and I was more thirsty than hungry.

That being said, the food was outstanding! Here's the salad with honey-lime dressing. SO good!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-215.jpg

Then came the potstickers. We devoured these!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-218.jpg

Here are the sauces that were brought out. I particularly loved the peanut sauce.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-216.jpg

The sticky wings were absolutely delicious, but definitely messy.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-217.jpg

The fresh vegetables gave some color to a table that was otherwise surrounded by meaty brown goodness.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-219.jpg

Lo Mein was great!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-220.jpg

Then came the meat skewers. EVERYTHING was just great!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-221.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-222.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-223.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-224.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-225.jpg

After the entree portions, they brought out steamed wet towels to freshen up before dessert. Wil was enjoying his towel experience a little too much!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-226.jpg

Then came dessert...

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-227.jpg

OMG!!! Can I get some more of that?

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-228.jpg

Okay, how about a little more?

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-229.jpg

We really enjoyed 'Ohana overall. I wish we would have had time for a nap and a shower first. 'Ohana is loud and bustling. There is an entertainer who goes around the room playing ukelele and singing tunes. He was....uh...okay I guess. The service was not great, to be honest. But the food was really, really good.....and plentiful. You will NOT leave this place hungry!

If you are on the Disney Dining Plan, I think the best values for 1 table service credits are: (1) Le Cellier, (2) Kona, and (3) 'Ohana. (Perhaps you could toss Boma into that mix as well.

Anyway, after a hot but great day at Disney, we were zonked and ready for bed.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-230.jpg

Three days down, and five more to go. WooHoo! Tomorrow we go to Animal Kingdom....and maybe get in a waterpark too!

[englishrose47]

I haven't tried O'Hana's yet but I am adding it to my TO DO list after your review !!!!!Those shrimp look delish !!! Even the veggies looked great!!! Now as for bread pudding ...okay I admit it next to Tiamusu that is a fav.of mine !!!!

[KatMark]

We've never done Ohanas, but after reading your review and seeing those pictures, it is on our list for our next visit for sure. :thumbsup2

[gemmybear83]

Love the Ohana photos! Were big Ohana fans! Last year we had to wait 45 mins past our ADR time and our waitress - gave us a special table - perfect for Wishes viewing :goodvibes

The only problem is they give us as much food for a family of four as two people!

[TigerKat]

The pic of Wil with the towel brought back so many memories, I have the same pic of my boy when he was 9.....he's leaving for college in two weeks:sad1:.....Cherish those kiddos Alan!

[shannon47142]

I love the salad and hot towels there too!
You guys def. deserved a good night of sleep:goodvibes

[karajeboo]

So glad to see your Ohana review - I think that's next on our list to try in December!

[KatMark]

The pic of Wil with the towel brought back so many memories, I have the same pic of my boy when he was 9.....he's leaving for college in two weeks:sad1:.....Cherish those kiddos Alan!

Ain't that the truth! My baby turned 21 in May and they are both in college (oldest, age 23, is going back for his Masters). It goes way too fast.

[stacopp]

Loving the trip report so far- you sold me on Ohana for our December trip!! The food looks awesome.

[brookelizabeth]

Oh how I love thee Ohana! We had about the same experience, a bit slow, entertainment (we had the woman) was.....different....but the food! Oh the food!!!!!!!! :love: I ate WAY too much that night though, ended up ruining me for the week! :lmao:

[dizneeat]

Thank you so much for the update! We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Ohana! I cannot wait to go back there in September, esp. now that your photos made my mouth water,:lmao:

[2xcited2sleep]

Looks like O'Hana will have to go on my "must try" list! :thumbsup2 I've heard so much about the "entertainment" that I have a morbid curiosity now! :laughing:

[lovedonaldduck]

Thanks for the Ohana review. :thumbsup2 We are going in September and now I am looking forward to it even more. :)

[jmamom]

'Ohana looks great, I can't wait to try it in Sept., especially the dessert - YUM! Hope the hot dog business is going well!:goodvibes

[nettii]

Allan Ohanas looked so yummy makes me sad they were booked through our whole trip:headache: I forgot how yummy every thing was! Well i guess we will just have to go back!:confused3:rotfl:
Nettii:goodvibes

[dvc4life]

Glad you are back Alan. The MMM looks like it would have been a blast.

Love Ohana's! So yummy. Can't wait to eat there again someday.

Can't wait to read about AK! :rolleyes1

[mickeystoontown]

Wow! I was two updates behind. Um...let's see....what did I want to comment on?

First of all, love the reference to Cousin Eddie. I know you were thankful that nobody like him showed up.:rotfl:

Oh my goodness, what a sweet surprise that you guys had a princess show up for the Photopass picture. Bonus! Too funny that there were people taking pictures of ya'll getting your picture made. I think I see Dana (racefanof88) and her son, Dallas, in your mammoth meet picture. Is that them? If not, they have twins.

My boss in a total wine lover and likes to cook and after seeing your pictures, I think I've gotta make a stop in World Showcase and pick up the apron your wife is holding.

I have Ohana's booked as a backup (at the suggestion of the Dining reservation castmember) just in case the Spirit of Aloha show gets rained out. The food looks really delicious.

Okay, I think I'm done.

Wait, no I am not.....congrats, again, on the success of your family's new restaurant.

Now, I'm done.:laughing:

[crocko]

First night of our upcoming trip will be 'Ohana. Looking forward to it!

That friendship bread......mmm....definitely needs to become my friend!

:laughing:

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

WOWWWWWWWW! That food looks amazing! The towels were probably somewhat refreshing, too. Glad you were able to finally get to bed and relax a bit!

[Camster0307]

Various scenes from the now-famous MAMMOTH MAY MEET!!!


http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-128.jpg




I spy DIS moms at the slushie kiosk! :3dglasses


Sorry Alan, I have been shamelessly MIA on the DIS. July has been one giant blur of birthdays, concerts, and plays. Am trying to catch up all-around! Love the pix from the meet!:thumbsup2

[Camster0307]

Hi Team Renfroe! Just stopping by with a little ITSK (I'm-too-sexy-Kara) for your TR!! And LOOK! Some of you Renfroes are in the pic with her!!! Lucky dogs!!!:rotfl2:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg113/podsnel/DISmoms%2009/2009_052006summer0215-1.jpg

Have a nice day!:goodvibes

THIS picture still CRACKS ME UP!!!!!!!!:lmao::rotfl::rotfl2:

[Camster0307]

For about a year now, we've been reading Cammie's trip reports. My daughter, Juliana, thinks that Cammie's youngest daughter, Lauren, is the greatest thing EVAH!! She was SOOOO hoping to meet Lauren....but Cammie of course was on the DIS Mom's Gone Wild trip, sans children. Anyway, Juliana insisted on buying Lauren a gift and having Cammie take it back to her. We made sure to get a picture of Juliana and Cammie holding up the photos of her two daughters, Amanda and Lauren.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/03-199.jpg

Lauren, being the polite young lady that she is, wrote Juliana a very nice thank you note and mailed it to her. It thrilled Juliana to DEATH!!! She is all about this DISboard thing! We are hopeful that we can meet up with Cammie sometime when the girls are with her. Of course, we are hopeful that we get an opportunity to meet up with EVERYONE from MMM again! We really met some wonderful friends!



Alan - Back at ya! We LOVE your TRs and it was such a treat meeting your wonderful family. Juliana and Wil are terrific and I really do hope we can all be down there at the same time one day! Lauren and Amanda would LOVE it!

Also so happy to hear about the success of the restaurant! Now when are you starting that mail order side of it?:goodvibes

[ckdsnynt]

Absolutely!!! What could be better than meeting new friends, drinking beer, being on vacation at Disney World??? Yep - we were definitely happy!



I would love to go during free dining, but my job prohibits me from being off very much during the fall season. I LOVE the MEGA mammoth idea!



Ahhh....Ohana....wish I was going there for dinner tonight!



Yeah, we thought that was a neat touch that Disney arranged for a character to come out and meet with our group. It made us feel special!



Juliana is a sweet girl. In the weeks leading up to our trip, she was so captivated with Lauren in Cammie's trip report from Feb.



I know right? I just thought it was hilarious that other people who were NOT part of our group wanted to stop and get our group photo. Hmm...



ABSO-freakin-LUTELY! (I had to go back a few pages to catch this one...but now I'm up to speed. Sorry!)



Hi Ellen! As I am looking back at these pictures, it makes me realize just what a great time we really did have! Next time, we may have to carve out a little more R&C time....maybe even ADRs and a meal. :idea:

Can you get ADRs for all of us at the MM? I can hear the phone drop at the CM's end now: "you want an ADR for how many? 35? 45?" :lmao:"Where do you want to eat? ":laughing:

[ckdsnynt]

So glad to see your Ohana review - I think that's next on our list to try in December!

You going in Dec too? us too! When will you be there? We are definitely going to try 'Ohana. We have never done that one and i think it sounds too good to pass up!
Alan: Sold me on 'Ohana. Really not a fan of this type of food but i am going to go for it based on your review!

Reading about the meet really makes me wish 2012 was not so far away. We will be celebrating our anniversary (40 years!). It will be in the November before that but we are going to wait and celebrate it that May/June (whenever the meet is planned). Hope we have better weather this trip than the May one! :thumbsup2
Keep up the reviews. Congrats on the dawgs.

[Camster0307]

So glad to see your Ohana review - I think that's next on our list to try in December!

I'm thinking the same thing!:thumbsup2

I've never eaten there - although I did manage to stop by real quick once to try a Lapu Lapu.:rolleyes1 Your pix, Alan, make me want to put it on my "Must-try" list!

[ckdsnynt]

I'm thinking the same thing!:thumbsup2

I've never eaten there - although I did manage to stop by real quick once to try a Lapu Lapu.:rolleyes1 Your pix, Alan, make me want to put it on my "Must-try" list!

Lapu lapu
One for me, one for you!:rotfl2:

[englishrose47]

I'm thinking the same thing!:thumbsup2

I've never eaten there - although I did manage to stop by real quick once to try a Lapu Lapu.:rolleyes1 Your pix, Alan, make me want to put it on my "Must-try" list!

It's on my list for next year !!!Judy isn't a fan of any Family style meals and we did a couple in 2007 !!But I have been toying with trying it!!!Now once again Mr Renfroe convinces me !!

[karajeboo]

I spy DIS moms at the slushie kiosk! :3dglasses


Sorry Alan, I have been shamelessly MIA on the DIS. July has been one giant blur of birthdays, concerts, and plays. Am trying to catch up all-around! Love the pix from the meet!:thumbsup2

I see DIS moms back there too! And I look like I"m passed out on the counter. Either that or trying to crawl over the counter to get my drink faster! :rotfl2:

[DisneyJo]

Your 'Ohana food looks delicious, glad you had a nice evening and how awesome that Aurora joined your group photo :goodvibes

[trennr]

x

[SunnieRN]

Dang, I'm not sure how it happened, but for our September trip I got Le Cellier and couldn't get O'hana! I called at 90 days out also. Oh well, maybe in February!!:goodvibes

Looking forward to more!

[Mysteria]

Alan another great update.

We have never been to Ohana either and it's on my list for November. I'm amazed at the number of us that haven't been to Ohana! :confused3 For me it's because my mom is usually with us and the menu is not her cup of tea.

:lmao: I'll have to show my Mom that pick of Dismoms in the back because it has my mom in the front with those 2 glasses of wine again. :rotfl:

[MagicShell]

That certainly looks like a lot of food. I am glad you had a good meal to end what sounds like a very busy day. I will be waiting to hear more.

[Shazzie B]

I'd forgotten that fantastic pudding at Ohana's:lovestruc

Perhaps you guys could help me out-what is Banana Fosters sauce (think that's what it's called)-does it come in a bottle-could I buy some in Walmart-looked last year but didn't really know what I was looking for.

One last question-if I can buy it in Walmart how many could I fit in my suitcase:rotfl2:

My DH has a list of rides he can nap in-Ellens Universe of Energy is the Epcot one!

The picture of Wil in bed is so cute-bless him-he must have been exhausted.

Really enjoying the report Alan-Thanks again

[disneyfan61]

Another great update Alan!! Thanks for these updates. You must be so busy with your new business. I have the "I wine a lot" t shirt. I got it in May when we were there. My family also loves Ohana's. I love it when they bring out the hot towels & the food is great!! We have been twice & it was great both times.
You did look pretty beat in that pic of you waiting for your ADR. When it is that hot out it does not take long to get tired!! Looking forward to your next update:thumbsup2

[englishrose47]

Hi Doreen !!!

[KatMark]

Alan, I know you are busy with the hot dogs and all and not Dising as much. But I had to let you know that Mark and I are going "home"--yep, we'll be at CSR for three nights/four days (September 19-22). As you know, we cancelled our trip because of finances and were, instead, going to Marco Island for 10 days because it was costing us nothing but the rental car and food (and I plan to cook a lot--no biggie). Well, I still had deposit down for our 10 days Disney trip and thought well what if we did a couple nights on the way to Marco or on the way home...especially with the special $96 rate they were offering for moderates. So I gave it a try and was able to get the first three nights at that rate before our trip to Marco Island. I'm so excited! Nope, it's not 10 days, but to me a few days is better than no days at Disney. So.....CSR here we come! :dance3::dance3::dance3:

[disneyfan61]

Hi Doreen !!!

:wave2:Hi Rosie!

[inkedupmomma]

Alan, I know you are busy with the hot dogs and all and not Dising as much. But I had to let you know that Mark and I are going "home"--yep, we'll be at CSR for three nights/four days (September 19-22). As you know, we cancelled our trip because of finances and were, instead, going to Marco Island for 10 days because it was costing us nothing but the rental car and food (and I plan to cook a lot--no biggie). Well, I still had deposit down for our 10 days Disney trip and thought well what if we did a couple nights on the way to Marco or on the way home...especially with the special $96 rate they were offering for moderates. So I gave it a try and was able to get the first three nights at that rate before our trip to Marco Island. I'm so excited! Nope, it's not 10 days, but to me a few days is better than no days at Disney. So.....CSR here we come! :dance3::dance3::dance3:

Kat, I would love to meet you! We will be at CSR Sept 12-21! Your info on CSR has been so awesome, i'd love to met and thank you in person!

[alan_renfroe]

I haven't tried O'Hana's yet but I am adding it to my TO DO list after your review !!!!!Those shrimp look delish !!! Even the veggies looked great!!! Now as for bread pudding ...okay I admit it next to Tiamusu that is a fav.of mine !!!!

Everything was great! The steak, the pork, those pot stickers...it was all good.

We've never done Ohanas, but after reading your review and seeing those pictures, it is on our list for our next visit for sure. :thumbsup2

You certainly will not leave there hungry! Save room for that dessert also. Yum!

Love the Ohana photos! Were big Ohana fans! Last year we had to wait 45 mins past our ADR time and our waitress - gave us a special table - perfect for Wishes viewing :goodvibes

The only problem is they give us as much food for a family of four as two people!

I haven't even thought about watching Wishes from 'Ohana. What a cool idea! We've watched from Narcoossee's and California Grill, but I didn't realize you could see it from 'Ohana.

On the food portions, it was our understanding that it is "all you care to eat," so I'm sure they would bring more if you'd like.

The pic of Wil with the towel brought back so many memories, I have the same pic of my boy when he was 9.....he's leaving for college in two weeks:sad1:.....Cherish those kiddos Alan!

Gosh, that's sad. I feel like I've lost my son and have inherited a pre-teen with attitude. Thank God for those Disney World memories!

I love the salad and hot towels there too!
You guys def. deserved a good night of sleep:goodvibes

Oh, we got a good night's sleep for sure! We were soooo tired! I don't think we actually hit our stride until the following day. The rest of the trip went quite smoothly and exhaustion free.

So glad to see your Ohana review - I think that's next on our list to try in December!

I can't believe you all haven't been to 'Ohana! I love the Polynesian anyway....and this place is exactly what you would think the Poly would be like. I can't remember if you all do the dining plan or not, but it is really a good dining plan value for 1 table service credit, (as is Kona.)

Ain't that the truth! My baby turned 21 in May and they are both in college (oldest, age 23, is going back for his Masters). It goes way too fast.

Okay, seriously, you guys are making me sad. I love my kids so much....I just hate to see this precious time get away from us.

Loving the trip report so far- you sold me on Ohana for our December trip!! The food looks awesome.

Cool! 'Ohana is awesome!

Oh how I love thee Ohana! We had about the same experience, a bit slow, entertainment (we had the woman) was.....different....but the food! Oh the food!!!!!!!! :love: I ate WAY too much that night though, ended up ruining me for the week! :lmao:

Yeah, we were not really impressed by the entertainment. In fact, I did my best to ignore it completely. That being said, many others were loving the entertainment. We were loving the FOOD!

Thank you so much for the update! We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Ohana! I cannot wait to go back there in September, esp. now that your photos made my mouth water,:lmao:

I was just thinking about those skewers last night. Have you ever eaten at a Brazilian Steak House? Where they bring out the food on skewers? 'Ohana reminds me of a Brazilian Steak House...only with a Hawaiian flair. We will definitely go back again.

Looks like O'Hana will have to go on my "must try" list! :thumbsup2 I've heard so much about the "entertainment" that I have a morbid curiosity now! :laughing:

Hahaha...the entertainment on the evening we were there was a large Hawaiian man who played ukelele and sang. Every single song...uh....sounded the same. He sang "Happy Birthday" to several people, and it sounded exactly like the previous three songs he had performed! He told his "story" about where he lived in Hawaii about four times during the hour and a half we were there. It was charming at first, but got monotenous after a while.

[alan_renfroe]

Thanks for the Ohana review. :thumbsup2 We are going in September and now I am looking forward to it even more. :)

All I can say is lucky you for having the reservations! We tried to get dinner at 'Ohana on our first trip last year, but couldn't get ressies. No wonder the place is packed!

'Ohana looks great, I can't wait to try it in Sept., especially the dessert - YUM! Hope the hot dog business is going well!:goodvibes

The hot dog biz is going great! Thanks!

Allan Ohanas looked so yummy makes me sad they were booked through our whole trip:headache: I forgot how yummy every thing was! Well i guess we will just have to go back!:confused3:rotfl:
Nettii:goodvibes

Oh, definitely Nettii. I will definitely be looking forward to going back to 'Ohana.

Glad you are back Alan. The MMM looks like it would have been a blast.

Love Ohana's! So yummy. Can't wait to eat there again someday.

Can't wait to read about AK! :rolleyes1

New chapter is coming up! A great day at the Animal Kingdom!

Wow! I was two updates behind. Um...let's see....what did I want to comment on?

First of all, love the reference to Cousin Eddie. I know you were thankful that nobody like him showed up.:rotfl:

Oh my goodness, what a sweet surprise that you guys had a princess show up for the Photopass picture. Bonus! Too funny that there were people taking pictures of ya'll getting your picture made. I think I see Dana (racefanof88) and her son, Dallas, in your mammoth meet picture. Is that them? If not, they have twins.

My boss in a total wine lover and likes to cook and after seeing your pictures, I think I've gotta make a stop in World Showcase and pick up the apron your wife is holding.

I have Ohana's booked as a backup (at the suggestion of the Dining reservation castmember) just in case the Spirit of Aloha show gets rained out. The food looks really delicious.

Okay, I think I'm done.

Wait, no I am not.....congrats, again, on the success of your family's new restaurant.

Now, I'm done.:laughing:

Yep, that's Dana and Dallas! We were glad to get to meet someone from our own home state!

Those wine aprons were really cool. One thing I love about the World Showcase is finding items that you can't find anywhere else. Sometimes it is just fun to window shop, then make plans to go back again and pick up something you found on the last trip! That's exactly what Elizabeth did with the French rolling pin. Ever since our last trip, she kept saying, "I should've bought that rolling pin!" So she was excited to go back this year and get it!

Definitely keep the 'Ohana reservation. I hear that the Spirit of Aloha show is really neat....but my guess is that the food is better at 'Ohana.

Oh, and thanks for the good wishes on the business! So far, so good!

First night of our upcoming trip will be 'Ohana. Looking forward to it!

That friendship bread......mmm....definitely needs to become my friend!

:laughing:

oh yeah.....with all the food, it might be easy to overlook the friendship bread...but don't! It is really good!

WOWWWWWWWW! That food looks amazing! The towels were probably somewhat refreshing, too. Glad you were able to finally get to bed and relax a bit!

Yeah, we were happy about the wet towels. Personally, I used my to take a mini-shower after a hot, sweaty day!

I spy DIS moms at the slushie kiosk! :3dglasses


Sorry Alan, I have been shamelessly MIA on the DIS. July has been one giant blur of birthdays, concerts, and plays. Am trying to catch up all-around! Love the pix from the meet!:thumbsup2

NICE SPOT!!! I see those crazy DIS moms back there as well!

Hey, I know what you mean about being MIA on the DIS. I am embarrassed that my trip report is taking so long, but the restaurant and my regular day job are keeping me extremely busy. I am, however, committed to this thing.

THIS picture still CRACKS ME UP!!!!!!!!:lmao::rotfl::rotfl2:

LOL! The ITSK picture with me and my beer in the background. Uh....yeah.

Alan - Back at ya! We LOVE your TRs and it was such a treat meeting your wonderful family. Juliana and Wil are terrific and I really do hope we can all be down there at the same time one day! Lauren and Amanda would LOVE it!

Also so happy to hear about the success of the restaurant! Now when are you starting that mail order side of it?:goodvibes

Yeah, now that we are business owners, maybe we can grow our business to the point where we can be more flexible about travel times. We would love to go sometime when our kids could meet. Juliana and Wil both enjoyed meeting you!

Oh, that's funny about the mail order hot dog biz! What is so ironic is that we get our "citified" dogs from Jersey! You being a Jersey girl and all....how funny would that be for us to have dogs shipped to us from Jersey, only to ship them back TO Jersey! Sabrett's rock.

Can you get ADRs for all of us at the MM? I can hear the phone drop at the CM's end now: "you want an ADR for how many? 35? 45?" :lmao:"Where do you want to eat? ":laughing:

Hey, if anyone can make it happen, it's Disney, right?

[alan_renfroe]

You going in Dec too? us too! When will you be there? We are definitely going to try 'Ohana. We have never done that one and i think it sounds too good to pass up!
Alan: Sold me on 'Ohana. Really not a fan of this type of food but i am going to go for it based on your review!

Reading about the meet really makes me wish 2012 was not so far away. We will be celebrating our anniversary (40 years!). It will be in the November before that but we are going to wait and celebrate it that May/June (whenever the meet is planned). Hope we have better weather this trip than the May one! :thumbsup2
Keep up the reviews. Congrats on the dawgs.

Thanks! More reviews on the way, including lunch at Yak & Yeti, and dinner at Narcoossee's.

I'm thinking the same thing!:thumbsup2

I've never eaten there - although I did manage to stop by real quick once to try a Lapu Lapu.:rolleyes1 Your pix, Alan, make me want to put it on my "Must-try" list!

It is totally a Disney experience to eat at 'Ohana. We had really wanted to eat there on our last trip, but could not get a reservation. This year, it was one of the first reservations we made.

Lapu lapu
One for me, one for you!:rotfl2:

If I had not been so hot and tired, I definitely would have ordered a Lapu Lapu. Maybe next time.

It's on my list for next year !!!Judy isn't a fan of any Family style meals and we did a couple in 2007 !!But I have been toying with trying it!!!Now once again Mr Renfroe convinces me !!

Hey, that's what I do! In school, I was the kid that got other kids to try things! hahaha

I see DIS moms back there too! And I look like I"m passed out on the counter. Either that or trying to crawl over the counter to get my drink faster! :rotfl2:

Go Kara, Go Kara, it's your birthday, Go Kara...

Your 'Ohana food looks delicious, glad you had a nice evening and how awesome that Aurora joined your group photo :goodvibes

Wasn't that cool? Juliana loved meeting Aurora!

Dang, I'm not sure how it happened, but for our September trip I got Le Cellier and couldn't get O'hana! I called at 90 days out also. Oh well, maybe in February!!:goodvibes

Looking forward to more!

We were the same way on our last trip! We got reservations for Le Cellier, but couldn't get them for 'Ohana. Keep calling them!

Alan another great update.

We have never been to Ohana either and it's on my list for November. I'm amazed at the number of us that haven't been to Ohana! :confused3 For me it's because my mom is usually with us and the menu is not her cup of tea.

:lmao: I'll have to show my Mom that pick of Dismoms in the back because it has my mom in the front with those 2 glasses of wine again. :rotfl:

Oh, that's too funny!

That certainly looks like a lot of food. I am glad you had a good meal to end what sounds like a very busy day. I will be waiting to hear more.

It was a very satisfying meal....and a great way to end Day #3!

I'd forgotten that fantastic pudding at Ohana's:lovestruc

Perhaps you guys could help me out-what is Banana Fosters sauce (think that's what it's called)-does it come in a bottle-could I buy some in Walmart-looked last year but didn't really know what I was looking for.

One last question-if I can buy it in Walmart how many could I fit in my suitcase:rotfl2:

My DH has a list of rides he can nap in-Ellens Universe of Energy is the Epcot one!

The picture of Wil in bed is so cute-bless him-he must have been exhausted.

Really enjoying the report Alan-Thanks again

I'm not sure where you can get that sauce....but it certainly is delish!

Wil doesn't know that I posted that picture of him asleep. If he knew, he'd be mad at me for doing so! But I thought it was cute...and it definitely shows just how tired we were.

[alan_renfroe]

Another great update Alan!! Thanks for these updates. You must be so busy with your new business. I have the "I wine a lot" t shirt. I got it in May when we were there. My family also loves Ohana's. I love it when they bring out the hot towels & the food is great!! We have been twice & it was great both times.
You did look pretty beat in that pic of you waiting for your ADR. When it is that hot out it does not take long to get tired!! Looking forward to your next update:thumbsup2

I LOVED that t-shirt! If we had not already spent $70 on that soccer jersey for Wil, we would have bought it.

Heat used to not bother me so much....but as I have gotten older, (and, ahem, larger,) I cannot stand to get TOO hot.

Next update is coming up!

Alan, I know you are busy with the hot dogs and all and not Dising as much. But I had to let you know that Mark and I are going "home"--yep, we'll be at CSR for three nights/four days (September 19-22). As you know, we cancelled our trip because of finances and were, instead, going to Marco Island for 10 days because it was costing us nothing but the rental car and food (and I plan to cook a lot--no biggie). Well, I still had deposit down for our 10 days Disney trip and thought well what if we did a couple nights on the way to Marco or on the way home...especially with the special $96 rate they were offering for moderates. So I gave it a try and was able to get the first three nights at that rate before our trip to Marco Island. I'm so excited! Nope, it's not 10 days, but to me a few days is better than no days at Disney. So.....CSR here we come! :dance3::dance3::dance3:

YAY!!! That's wonderful! Take lots of pictures...us CSR junkies are counting on you! You are going to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the newly renovated rooms!

Kat, I would love to meet you! We will be at CSR Sept 12-21! Your info on CSR has been so awesome, i'd love to met and thank you in person!

Oh, that would be cool. DISmeets rock! :grouphug:

[KatMark]

Kat, I would love to meet you! We will be at CSR Sept 12-21! Your info on CSR has been so awesome, i'd love to met and thank you in person!

Thanks! We have a few others who are interested in a "morning coffee" or "afternoon drink" at Siesta's. Working on the schedule...so watch the CSR FAQ Thread as I'll be posting a proposed date there in the next few days.

:)

[alan_renfroe]

After a well-deserved great night's sleep, we were up and ready for a nice day at Animal Kingdom! (Those new queen-size beds at CSR are TOTALLY worth the upgrade to a moderate!) This was an Extra Magic Hours morning at Animal Kingdom, so we wanted to get there by 8am.

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We decided to drive to Animal Kingdom instead of taking the bus. (We were thinking we might ride Kali River Rapids last, and we would probably all be wet...so we didn't want to ride the bus all soak and wet.) Since we were driving, we decided to stop by El Centro and get a quick 'to-go' breakfast at the Pepper Market.

Then we were on our way to Animal Kingdom!

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(I always take a picture of where we park, so I can find our vehicle at the end of the day!)

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The skies were a little cloudy, but to this point we had not experienced any rain on the trip.

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Since we had ordered the PhotoPass disc, we had to get the obligatory family photos in front of the tree of life!

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I swear, I LOVE those early morning extra magic hours! You feel like you have the whole park to yourself for those first two hours.

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We headed straight for Expedition Everest. We found out last year that the best way to get their is to walk through DinoLand USA.

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There it is...in the distance....Expedition Everest! This is my second favorite ride in all of Disney World (2nd only to Rock 'N Roller Coaster.)

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Coming up next - Expedition Everest & Kilimanjaro Safari - and later, lunch at Yak & Yeti.

[Mysteria]

Yay!! A Team Renfroe update. I still don't know how you are fitting this in with everything else you've got going on but I'm happy you are!

[Must C Mickey]

Hooray, just logged on and saw you had a fresh new post! :banana: Love the photopass pics. I laughed when I saw how Wil was not as hip to the growl face pic as the rest of u guys are. The posture in his hands just don't say "I am so excited to be taking this picture." :rotfl2:

[Queenofallthings]

Oh dear, I am late to starting this one, but I'm subbing. :cool1: My Dd16 told me "sub" to this one mom, it's great, so here I am.

Now I'm going to actually go and read your report:thumbsup2

[inkedupmomma]

Thanks! We have a few others who are interested in a "morning coffee" or "afternoon drink" at Siesta's. Working on the schedule...so watch the CSR FAQ Thread as I'll be posting a proposed date there in the next few days.

:)


Will do Kat!

Alan, great update! i want one of those pics of me holding baby simba LOL

[englishrose47]

Hi Alan! Great Update !! The PP pix were great I love Juliannna holding Simba and Elizabeth does a FIERCE ROAR!!!!!!

[SunnieRN]

Alan, I know you are busy with the hot dogs and all and not Dising as much. But I had to let you know that Mark and I are going "home"--yep, we'll be at CSR for three nights/four days (September 19-22). As you know, we cancelled our trip because of finances and were, instead, going to Marco Island for 10 days because it was costing us nothing but the rental car and food (and I plan to cook a lot--no biggie). Well, I still had deposit down for our 10 days Disney trip and thought well what if we did a couple nights on the way to Marco or on the way home...especially with the special $96 rate they were offering for moderates. So I gave it a try and was able to get the first three nights at that rate before our trip to Marco Island. I'm so excited! Nope, it's not 10 days, but to me a few days is better than no days at Disney. So.....CSR here we come! :dance3::dance3::dance3:

Congratulations!!! I'm happy for you!!:goodvibes

Another great update Alan!! Can't wait for your Y&Y review. I made Sept. reservations based on your reviews from last year!!

Great photopass pics, and the one of the kids in front of the AK sign is great!!

[Queenofallthings]

Starting reading your report last evening and I am hooked, FABULOUS!! I love TR with tons of pics and yours is delivering in a big way. Can't wait for morepopcorn::

SUBBING

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hey Alan-nice update!

I was thinking about your business when DH announced he wanted to eat at Grey's Papaya for lunch the day before we fly to Disney (we'll be in NY for the day...)DD & I want to do something different and I'm not a big fan of the hot dog and papaya juice combo-now if it were one of those chili dogs on your menu...:goodvibes

I must be one of the only people who have been to Disney in the last ten years who has missed Le Cellier and dinner at Ohana-we did the breakfast there with Lilo and Stitch-it was great fun... (I do like Kona and Boma very much...)

I said it before and I'll say it again-your kids look like such sweethearts...:cloud9:

Looking forward to your report on EE and Yak and Yeti-it''ll be my first time for both of those in 2 weeks...:woohoo:

BTW-What exactly is in a Grand Marnier Slushie-I saw those back further in your TR-and I think one is calling my name...:idea:

[brookelizabeth]

Great Photopass pics!
I never realized the easiest way to EE was through Dinoland, but that makes much more sense, thanks for the tip!

[MagicShell]

Your photo pass pictured turned out nicely. EE is also my 2nd favorite ride, behind TOT.

[stepdisney]

Yay another update!!! I was getting hungry and I wanted to know when we would be eating again. We leave in 3 weeks and I love your reviews. I can't wait to eat at 'Ohana's and my DSIL will be eating at Yak & Yeti for the 1st time for either of us. Can't wait to read your review :thumbsup2.

[ckdsnynt]

Hey Alan-nice update!

I was thinking about your business when DH announced he wanted to eat at Grey's Papaya for lunch the day before we fly to Disney (we'll be in NY for the day...)DD & I want to do something different and I'm not a big fan of the hot dog and papaya juice combo-now if it were one of those chili dogs on your menu...:goodvibes

I must be one of the only people who have been to Disney in the last ten years who has missed Le Cellier and dinner at Ohana-we did the breakfast there with Lilo and Stitch-it was great fun... (I do like Kona and Boma very much...)

I said it before and I'll say it again-your kids look like such sweethearts...:cloud9:

Looking forward to your report on EE and Yak and Yeti-it''ll be my first time for both of those in 2 weeks...:woohoo:

BTW-What exactly is in a Grand Marnier Slushie-I saw those back further in your TR-and I think one is calling my name...:idea:

Nope, I have been umpteen times and never eaten at either one! Either we have no class/taste or we have been unlucky with adrs!:rotfl2:

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Can't wait to see all that you got done in AK during EMH! I noticed the Capt. Hiram's shirt you had on...a good friend of mine used to work there! In fact, she is my daughter's godmother! That's so funny! She is originally from PA and moved to Fla in 1999.

[2xcited2sleep]

What adorable family photopass pictures. I especially like the one with all of you "growling" like animals! And as others have said I continue to be impressed with at least how well it seems your kids get along. You'd never shots like that of my brother and I from back in the day. :sad2:

Thanks for the tip on accessing EE via Dinoland! :thumbsup2

Looking forward to more! :upsidedow

[alan_renfroe]

Yay!! A Team Renfroe update. I still don't know how you are fitting this in with everything else you've got going on but I'm happy you are!

Me either! I'm totally committed to this trip report. It is much farther between updates than I would like, but I do them as I get a chance. I'm starting to get more personnel in place at the restaurant, so maybe the updates will begin to come faster now.

Hooray, just logged on and saw you had a fresh new post! :banana: Love the photopass pics. I laughed when I saw how Wil was not as hip to the growl face pic as the rest of u guys are. The posture in his hands just don't say "I am so excited to be taking this picture." :rotfl2:

Hahaha....yeah, that picture of Wil is classic. That's a 12-yr-old for you....too cool to hang out with his nerdy parents and pesky sis.

Oh dear, I am late to starting this one, but I'm subbing. :cool1: My Dd16 told me "sub" to this one mom, it's great, so here I am.

Now I'm going to actually go and read your report:thumbsup2

Cool! Welcome aboard...and tell your 16-yr-old we said thanks!

Will do Kat!

Alan, great update! i want one of those pics of me holding baby simba LOL

Juliana really got a kick out of that picture! We had that same pic made last year, but we didn't purchase the PhotoPass pics. This year, we knew what to expect, so we hammed it up full on.

Hi Alan! Great Update !! The PP pix were great I love Juliannna holding Simba and Elizabeth does a FIERCE ROAR!!!!!!

Yeah, Elizabeth really got into character, didn't she!!! Maybe she was just expressing some repressed emotions from hanging out with the rest of us all week!

Congratulations!!! I'm happy for you!!:goodvibes

Another great update Alan!! Can't wait for your Y&Y review. I made Sept. reservations based on your reviews from last year!!

Great photopass pics, and the one of the kids in front of the AK sign is great!!

Here's a spoiler alert - LOVE Y&Y! Our service was not very good this time....but the food more than made up for it.

Starting reading your report last evening and I am hooked, FABULOUS!! I love TR with tons of pics and yours is delivering in a big way. Can't wait for morepopcorn::

SUBBING

So cool! Welcome aboard! Lots and lots more pictures to come.

Hey Alan-nice update!

I was thinking about your business when DH announced he wanted to eat at Grey's Papaya for lunch the day before we fly to Disney (we'll be in NY for the day...)DD & I want to do something different and I'm not a big fan of the hot dog and papaya juice combo-now if it were one of those chili dogs on your menu...:goodvibes

I must be one of the only people who have been to Disney in the last ten years who has missed Le Cellier and dinner at Ohana-we did the breakfast there with Lilo and Stitch-it was great fun... (I do like Kona and Boma very much...)

I said it before and I'll say it again-your kids look like such sweethearts...:cloud9:

Looking forward to your report on EE and Yak and Yeti-it''ll be my first time for both of those in 2 weeks...:woohoo:

BTW-What exactly is in a Grand Marnier Slushie-I saw those back further in your TR-and I think one is calling my name...:idea:

I love Grey's Papaya! The first time I heard of it was in the movie "Fool's Rush In." When I found out that I could have them shipped to Alabama, I was thrilled! We are selling about 600 of those a week right now...and they are not our best sellers! (Our best seller is....you guessed it....the basic original chili dog.)

We did the 'Ohana breakfast last year and loved it. If you get a chance, definitely try the dinner. I just really like the vibe at the Poly and at 'Ohana.

Thanks for the kind comments about our kids. I think they are the best kids ever. The only trouble we ever have with them is fighting EACH OTHER.

Woohoo for you on your trip in 2 weeks! Expedition Everest is absolutely amazing. There are taller, faster, and scarier roller coasters out there than EE....but none that are as unique. I could ride that ride over and over and over again.

I can't recall what is exactly in the Grand Marnier slushie, but it is pretty much Grand Marnier and a basic orange slush. Very, VERY good! You MUST try!

Great Photopass pics!
I never realized the easiest way to EE was through Dinoland, but that makes much more sense, thanks for the tip!

Someone had given us that tip and it really works. We will use that route from now on.

Your photo pass pictured turned out nicely. EE is also my 2nd favorite ride, behind TOT.

Oh, ToT.... Good one! It is probably my 3rd fav. It's hard to pick favorites between EE, ToT, and RnRC for me. Those are literally the best three rides I've ever been on.

[alan_renfroe]

Yay another update!!! I was getting hungry and I wanted to know when we would be eating again. We leave in 3 weeks and I love your reviews. I can't wait to eat at 'Ohana's and my DSIL will be eating at Yak & Yeti for the 1st time for either of us. Can't wait to read your review :thumbsup2.

Here's a preview - Yak & Yeti is wonderful...if you order the right things. My review will be coming up soon.

Nope, I have been umpteen times and never eaten at either one! Either we have no class/taste or we have been unlucky with adrs!:rotfl2:

I KNOW it is not because you have no class/taste! Must be those unlucky ADRs!

Can't wait to see all that you got done in AK during EMH! I noticed the Capt. Hiram's shirt you had on...a good friend of mine used to work there! In fact, she is my daughter's godmother! That's so funny! She is originally from PA and moved to Fla in 1999.

No way! I LOVE that place! We had a timeshare at Oyster Pointe for a while and went to Sebastian in 2005 on vacation. I loved it! It was a very relaxing, type B vacation....and Capt. Hiram's is such a cool place. We ended up eating there three times in a week! Sebastian is like a well-kept secret, and I hoped it never gets overly spoiled by tourism.

What adorable family photopass pictures. I especially like the one with all of you "growling" like animals! And as others have said I continue to be impressed with at least how well it seems your kids get along. You'd never shots like that of my brother and I from back in the day. :sad2:

Thanks for the tip on accessing EE via Dinoland! :thumbsup2

Looking forward to more! :upsidedow

Thanks, Christine! I wish our son and daughter could get along at home the way they do at Disney.

Accessing EE through Dinoland is definitely the way to go! Just take the right into DinoLand, then stay on the left path that leads you along the river, past Finding Nemo: The Musical. It is a much less crowded than the walk through Asia.

[karajeboo]

Ooooh, I love EE too!!! Very excited to hear about Y&Y as that place just does not interest me.... yet!

[alan_renfroe]

The Animal Kingdom is such a visually pleasing theme park. If there were more rides and attractions, I think it would be my favorite. It is so uniquely beautiful and I'm amazed at the attention to detail.

As we entered the park on this day, we walked around Dinoland to get to Asia and the entrance to Expedition Everest.

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The weather was definitely overcast - and we fully expected rain at any time. The forecast had been calling for rain all week....but so far it had only rained during the evening. We had a rain-free day at Hollywood Studios on Saturday, a rain-free day at Epcot on Sunday, and now it was Monday at Animal Kingdom and it still had not rained. We were having a GREAT time!

Being that last year was our very first trip to Disney World, we sort of breezed by everything quickly. This year, I was determined to "stop and smell the roses" a little more. The que line for Expedition Everest is amazing! It really sets the tone for the ride. I never want to stand in long lines for anything....but I don't think I would mind standing in line for EE. (Fortunately, however, we did NOT have to stand in a very long line at all!)

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Finally, we get to ride! Last year, Juliana would not ride EE....but this year, she was brave and decided to ride.

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As always, Expedition Everest was AMAZING!! Wil, Elizabeth, and I LOVED it and immediately wanted to ride again. Juliana....not so much. She did not like the part where you go backwards into the mountain. She said it made here stomach feel funny. Oh well - I guess she'll have to sit this one out next time. Anyway, after riding, we got four FastPasses to ride again later.

After Expedition Everest, we began our walk from one side of the park to the other. We walked through Asia to Africa, where our next experience would be the Kilimanjaro Safari. I took several pictures along the way:

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Coming up next - Africa and Kilimanjaro Safaris

[englishrose47]

I te theretoo Alan !! Somebody recommended it !!! Oh that would be YOU!!:rotfl2:I ant say what I had but it was GOOD!!!! Ithink I ordered the recommended desset !!!!!!

[englishrose47]

Great Update Alan !! My favorite at AK is Safari!!!

[alan_renfroe]

We continued our walk to Africa and made pictures along the way:

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It was already hot - and starting to get a little crowded.

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We made it to the front of the line in very little time! But then everything just stopped for awhile. The policy on Kilimanjaro Safaris is that the animals have the right of way. Apparently, there was an entire heard crossing one of the pathways and the safari vehicles just stopped for about 20 minutes.

Finally, things were moving again and we were on our way!

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Coming up next - more scenes from the Kilimanjaro Safari

[alan_renfroe]

Pictures are worth a thousand words....so I'll just post the pictures for this chapter. Sit back and enjoy the safari!

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(continued in next post)

[KatMark]

Yes, updates! Hooray. Anxious for your review of Yak & Yeti--we loved it last year--it was our second favorite meal of the trip. We'll miss it this year but, as we are only going for three nights/four days, we are skipping AK all together this trip. Alan, started a little pre-trip report if you want to take a peak when you have a minute. :)

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2249942

[alan_renfroe]

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Coming up next, The Festival of the Lion King, and later, lunch at Yak & Yeti.

[inkedupmomma]

Alan, you are killing me here! I wanna read about this Yak and yeti business! :P thanks for another awesome picture filled filled update though!

[Welshcakes]

Hiya, I've caught up with everything and I must say it looks like you are all having a GREAT time.:cloud9: You've taken some lovely photos and I feel as if i'm on my hols too.

Now get back to selling those yummy hot dogs of yours!! Ha Ha:rotfl:Ha Ha

Hope all is going well for you.

Can't wait for more.:yay:

Welshcakes

[ckdsnynt]

Alan : I am so enjoying your TR. Know how much I am enjoying it? Twice as much as everyone else!:lmao: Why, you ask? Because of the firewall we have on our computers at work! I can't see any of your pictures so I have to read the TR at work and then go home and re-read it and look at the pcitures and match the words up with the pics!:rotfl2: So, I get to enjoy it twice as much as everyone else! :rotfl:

[KatMark]

Alan : I am so enjoying your TR. Know how much I am enjoying it? Twice as much as everyone else!:lmao: Why, you ask? Because of the firewall we have on our computers at work! I can't see any of your pictures so I have to read the TR at work and then go home and re-read it and look at the pcitures and match the words up with the pics!:rotfl2: So, I get to enjoy it twice as much as everyone else! :rotfl:

:lmao::lmao::rotfl2:

[karajeboo]

Alan - I think this was the day that Cammie, Ellen and I were at AK - Monday, right??? We came just for EE - got there about 9 or 10 I think and left to make our 12:00 ADR at Le Cellier.

[Mysteria]

You got some nice pics. I suck at getting anything decent on the safari. I always get the wrong end! :rotfl:

CK :lmao: You always make me laugh.

[Luis Rodriguez]

Wonderful posts, Alan!! Nice pics. And your family looks, as always, beautiful!

Regards,

Luis

[aprilisis]

Great photos!!! Thanks for the update. :)

[alan_renfroe]

Ooooh, I love EE too!!! Very excited to hear about Y&Y as that place just does not interest me.... yet!

Oh, I'm going to see what I can do to change that!

I te theretoo Alan !! Somebody recommended it !!! Oh that would be YOU!!:rotfl2:I ant say what I had but it was GOOD!!!! Ithink I ordered the recommended desset !!!!!!

Oh yeah! Love me some Y&Y! That dessert from last year was no fluke....I ordered it again this year and loved it again!

Yes, updates! Hooray. Anxious for your review of Yak & Yeti--we loved it last year--it was our second favorite meal of the trip. We'll miss it this year but, as we are only going for three nights/four days, we are skipping AK all together this trip. Alan, started a little pre-trip report if you want to take a peak when you have a minute. :)

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2249942

I agree with you about Yak & Yeti. We went last year and after reading reviews I was leary about going. However, it turned out to be our 2nd favorite lunch, only behind Le Cellier. So we HAD to go back this year.

Oh, I'll go check that pre-trippy out when I get a chance!

Alan, you are killing me here! I wanna read about this Yak and yeti business! :P thanks for another awesome picture filled filled update though!

Patience, my dear....patience! Call it food porn foreplay!

Hiya, I've caught up with everything and I must say it looks like you are all having a GREAT time.:cloud9: You've taken some lovely photos and I feel as if i'm on my hols too.

Now get back to selling those yummy hot dogs of yours!! Ha Ha:rotfl:Ha Ha

Hope all is going well for you.

Can't wait for more.:yay:

Welshcakes

Cool! I love it when the readers feel like they are along with us! Welcome aboard!

Now back to the business of hot dogs. Peace out.

Alan : I am so enjoying your TR. Know how much I am enjoying it? Twice as much as everyone else!:lmao: Why, you ask? Because of the firewall we have on our computers at work! I can't see any of your pictures so I have to read the TR at work and then go home and re-read it and look at the pcitures and match the words up with the pics!:rotfl2: So, I get to enjoy it twice as much as everyone else! :rotfl:

Hahahaha :rotfl2: That's awesome!

Alan - I think this was the day that Cammie, Ellen and I were at AK - Monday, right??? We came just for EE - got there about 9 or 10 I think and left to make our 12:00 ADR at Le Cellier.

Yep, it was Monday morning. We must have just missed you! We rode about 8:15 or so and was on to Kilimanjaro Safari by 9.

You got some nice pics. I suck at getting anything decent on the safari. I always get the wrong end! :rotfl:

CK :lmao: You always make me laugh.

Hahaha....believe me, we got several of those pictures also...I was just kind enough not to post them ALL!

Wonderful posts, Alan!! Nice pics. And your family looks, as always, beautiful!

Regards,

Luis

Thank you, Luis! Hope all is well with you and your wonderful family!

Great photos!!! Thanks for the update. :)

Thanks! Another update is on the way.

[alan_renfroe]

After our Kilimanjaro Safari, we headed South toward Camp Minnie/Mickey.

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Last year, we did not get to see the Festival of the Lion King, so it was on our "must do" list for Animal Kingdom this year.

We had to wait for about 45 minutes, but we didn't mind. So far, we were having a wonderful day!

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The Festival of the Lion King was amazing! For some reason, I didn't think I would really enjoy it....but we ALL loved it!

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Coming up next - It's Tough to be a Bug, Dinosaur, and lunch at Yak & Yeti.

[TigerKat]

FOTLK is my favorite show in all of WDW, I have to see it every trip!!!!:thumbsup2

[stepdisney]

....and THEN we had lunch at Yak n Yeti..... :yay: I'm getting very hungry Alan. popcorn::

[KatMark]

....and THEN we had lunch at Yak n Yeti..... :yay: I'm getting very hungry Alan. popcorn::

Me too! It seems like we've been waiting a month for this lunch. :lmao:

[stepdisney]

Me too! It seems like we've been waiting a month for this lunch. :lmao:

YEAH!!!

We want to eat.....We want to eat!!! (I'm banging my knife and fork on the table while I chant!!!!!)

[inkedupmomma]

SEE.. i'm not the only one dying to hear about this yak and Yeti!:flower3:

[alan_renfroe]

FOTLK is my favorite show in all of WDW, I have to see it every trip!!!!:thumbsup2

Last year, we only had time to see one show at Animal Kingdom...so we saw Finding Nemo: The Musical. It was amazing! This year, we decided to prioritize seeing Festival of the Lion King. It was incredible also! If someone asked me which one they should see, my answer would be BOTH for sure.

....and THEN we had lunch at Yak n Yeti..... :yay: I'm getting very hungry Alan. popcorn::

Hahahaha:rotfl2: I've created a mob of hungry monsters!

Me too! It seems like we've been waiting a month for this lunch. :lmao:

See comment below...

YEAH!!!

We want to eat.....We want to eat!!! (I'm banging my knife and fork on the table while I chant!!!!!)

Okay, okay....geeesh....it's like feeding my kids! :rotfl2:

SEE.. i'm not the only one dying to hear about this yak and Yeti!:flower3:

Three words: Food Porn Foreplay!! :rotfl2:

[alan_renfroe]

After thoroughly enjoying the Festival of the Lion King, Wil said he really wanted to see It's Tough to be a Bug.

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We saw this last year and Juliana absolutely hated it. Not this year! She thought it was hilarious. I can't help but to feel sorry for all those screaming kids though. This is the stuff that children's nightmares are made of! Seriously, I can't enjoy the show because I feel so bad for all those unsuspecting children who get scarred for life.

But I digress....

Anyway, after It's Tough To Be A Bug, we were off to Dinoland to ride Dinosaur. The standby line was only 15 minutes, so we hoped in line.

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Again, last year Juliana would not ride this ride. This year she rode it and LOVED it!

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When we exited the Dinosaur ride, the skies finally opened up...and the rain fell violently. It wasn't a nice summer shower, it was a tropical rain forest rain. Central Florida had been in a draught for months...and now they were about to get their fair share of precipitation.

Fortunately, we were ready. We had the rain slickers in Elizabeth's bag, so we took them out and put them on before leaving the Dinosaur gift shop.

It was starting to get close to time for our lunch reservations at Yak & Yeti, so we made our way through the rain through Asia.

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We had eaten at Yak & Yeti last year for lunch and loved it. So I was really looking forward to eating there again this year. As we entered, the entry area was packed with people trying to get out of the rain. Our reservations were for noon, but we were there around 11:50. We waited for about 20 minutes or so, and then were seated around 12:10.

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Coming up next - the greatly anticipated Yak & Yeti review.

[englishrose47]

What a TEASE!!!:rotfl2:

I alsolove Dinasaur , but am the only one !! I love Bug too !!Even the end part !!!:lmao:
kay now bring it on let's YAK andYET!!!!

[KatMark]

Left hanging....AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:lmao::lmao:

[alan_renfroe]

Finally, the greatly anticipated lunch review of Yak & Yeti!

We were seated and our server came over apologizing. He said he was late for work because of the weather. (I'm assuming he was supposed to start his shift at noon?) Anyway, this guy was not the brightest bulb on the tree. He asked us, "Where are y'all from." We told him, "Alabama." He said, "Me too!!!" I thought to myself, "Great. The worst service we have all week and the guy is from Alabama." It WAS the worst service we had all week. This guy was just not Disney material. In fact, I wouldn't hire him at my hot dog restaurant to wash dishes!

Now, that being said, the food was...once again this year.....AMAZING!!! I absolutely love this place! Yes, you can get Chinese food in any city across America - but this isn't Chinese food. It is a Pan-Asian mix that has a unique quality.

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We started with drinks. I had the Emperor's Margarita and Elizabeth had the Yak Attack.

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Elizabeth enjoyed her drink very much, and I LOVED my margarita.

Next were the appetizers. Last year, Wil got the egg rolls and loved them, so he decided to order them again. He ate every bite!

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Last year, I got the Ahi Tuna and loved it. Well, you guessed it, I ordered it again. OH GOSH>>.........SOOO GOOD!! This appetizer was one of my absolute favorites all week.

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Elizabeth had the potstickers. There was not a single crumb left on the plate!

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Last year, I ordered the Shaoxing Steak and Shrimp. I almost went with the ribs this year, based on the reviews of others...but I decided to stay with the steak and shrimp. WONDERFUL!

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Elizabeth DID order the ribs this year, and I'm glad she did. They were great!

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Wil got the same thing he ordered last year: the Shrimp Lo Mein. He loved it!

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Juliana got the Kid's Chicken Fingers. If I had anything negative to say about the food at Yak & Yeti, it would be that the kids really don't have a lot from which to choose.

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Now, on to desserts. After we were seated, there was another family seated next to us. We had placed our dessert orders shortly before they placed theirs. Anyway, their desserts came out first. I couldn't help but overhear the conversation at their table. They told the server, "this is not the desserts we ordered." The server apologized and eventually got them the right desserts. After thinking about it a few minutes, I realized that our server actually brought them OUR desserts. When he came to our table with our desserts, they were the desserts ordered by the OTHER family. He did go back and eventually get us what we ordered, but lunch took a lot longer than it should've. (Did I mention that the server was not very bright?)

Anyway, the desserts were terrific once we got them! Elizabeth and Wil had ordered the Chocolate Brownie Sundae for two. Instead, our server brought out the fried wontons and the sorbet platter. Elizabeth ended up eating the fried wontons and Juliana ate the sorbet dessert. So, Elizabeth and I both ended up having the fried wontons:

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These are SO good!

Juliana ate the sorbets:

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The server eventually brought out the Chocolate Brownie Sundae. Wil, Juliana, and Elizabeth all shared this monster:

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And this was Juliana's original dessert. I don't think anyone ate it:

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Overall, we definitely LOVE Yak & Yeti! With a place this large, you are bound to get a bad server every now and then. Even though the service wasn't good, the food MORE than made up for it. Will we go here again? ABSOLUTELY! As far as I'm concerned, this is THE place to eat at the Animal Kingdom. I know everyone has different tastes, and I am constantly reading reviews from people who do not like Yak & Yeti, but we love it! I give it a solid A.

[englishrose47]

Guess what I ordered at Yak & Yeti The Shrimp and Steak and the Fried Wontons !!! Yes they were great ! I kinda liked the look of Wils Shrimp Lomein too!! I think the girls would love the ribs !! Darn it Alan ya keep giving me ideas !!!:lmao:

[KatMark]

Hooray! YAK & YETI still gets an "A" from the Big Guy! We'll definitely have to go back there again next year. Those ribs look really, really good (and they have to be better than the ones at WCC).

Thanks for yet another great review, Alan. Sorry about the horrible service though.

[gemmybear83]

Great Yak and Yeti review! We have an ADR for our second day - my DF is so excited Asia is his favourite part of the WDW! I just hope we don't egt your server!

[2xcited2sleep]

I :lovestruc Team Renfroe dining reviews! I HAVE to try Y&Y this trip. Particularly that Yak Attack... :rolleyes1

[ckdsnynt]

Alan:
Not a fan of Chinese or Asian food but I might have to make an exception based on what I see here! These reviews are great and the pictures of the food make me absolutely drool. Gotta go get a bib now:rotfl2:

[stepdisney]

'burp'....now THAT was good! :thumbsup2:goodvibes That shrimp and steak thing looked so good! Was that brown rice with the ribs? I practically had my nose pressed up to the screen trying to get a whiff of the chocolate brownies.......YUM! Thanks daddy.......I really was hungry.....LOL:rotfl2:

[ferretxxxferret]

Wonderful report! I am bummed that I caught up because I want to keep reading, LOL.

You definitely have me thinking about the Flying Fish. Hmmm.....

[jmamom]

Your Yak and yeti review has given me a wicked craving for Chinese food! It looks delicious! Sadly, my kids won't even try Chinese food :confused:(or much else, really). They have no idea what they are missing. Just sad. Great pics of FOTLK - I'm hoping to catch this show, too.:goodvibes

[inkedupmomma]

see.. now was that so hard you food flirt:love: great review and great pics! i truly appreciate it! this is one of the places that i am most looking forward too! mostly for the won ton dessert.. but the more I see it, the more I want that steak and shrimp! can't wait for you to read my review!!

[OhioDisneyLover]

Was finally able to catch up! Great pictures!

[Queenofallthings]

I have to start off by saying your trip report is definitely in my top 10 of all time favorites, you are doing an amazing job:cool1:

I was talking to my sis Purplepeg and I told her she too needs to sub to this one, I love your upbeat attitude, you get it!! I told her "they just love being there and it comes through in his writing and pictures" even when you have a not so stellar experience (that woman on the tram that said No, you left your son behind...have to tell you that infuriated me, why are people so mean) you alway let it go and remember that you're blessed to be able to enjoy this wonderful place with your adorable family!:lovestruc

We are leaving on Monday morning for 3 weeks in WDW...we can't wait....this is the first time we're going for 3 and feel truly blessed. I was so excited to read your review on Yak and Yeti...we're there on Wednesday and now I don't even have to look at the menu, I know exactly what I'm ordering:banana:

Thank you again for your wonderful insite into this beautiful place:worship:

[englishrose47]

I have to start off by saying your trip report is definitely in my top 10 of all time favorites, you are doing an amazing job:cool1:

I was talking to my sis Purplepeg and I told her she too needs to sub to this one, I love your upbeat attitude, you get it!! I told her "they just love being there and it comes through in his writing and pictures" even when you have a not so stellar experience (that woman on the tram that said No, you left your son behind...have to tell you that infuriated me, why are people so mean) you alway let it go and remember that you're blessed to be able to enjoy this wonderful place with your adorable family!:lovestruc

We are leaving on Monday morning for 3 weeks in WDW...we can't wait....this is the first time we're going for 3 and feel truly blessed. I was so excited to read your review on Yak and Yeti...we're there on Wednesday and now I don't even have to look at the menu, I know exactly what I'm ordering:banana:

Thank you again for your wonderful insite into this beautiful place:worship:


Alan has a talent for pickingyour menu choices :rotfl2:I know I have been severely influenced by him!! He better be seriously considering June 2012 although I think he is !!!:worship:

[Luis Rodriguez]

Wonderful posts, Alan!

Have to agree with The Lion King show, the cast gives a impressive, full of energy performance.

Your Y&Y posts brought back a lot of memories, as our experience was almost identical: bad server, wonderful food!!. I don't even remember the name of the guy, I must have blocked it out of my mind!!:rolleyes:

I think my wife agrees with Elizabeth's choice!! She had the ribs last year and enjoyed them very much... And that Tuna of yours... I have to convince Mercedes to eat out today, in a good Asian Restaurant and order seared tuna (Although I do have to admit yours looks insuperable)...

Regards,

Luis

P.S. You owe us some photos of B.F. Dwags Grand Opening!!

[Editing] After I wrote my post I showed my wife the photos of your Yak&Yeti post. Her only comment: Let's go and eat seared Tuna!! Great minds think alike...

[Welshcakes]

That food looks soooooooooo good - my gang will definately be having lunch there on our next holiday.

Looking forward to reading more. Thanks for the wonderful updates :)

[disneyfan61]

Great update Alan. Now I want to try Yak & Yeti!! We have not tried it yet but probably will during our anniversary trip next May.

[SunnieRN]

Wow, what awesome FOTLK, safari and food porn pictures!! Thank you for sharing all of your memories with us Renfroes!!:goodvibes

Juliana, you go girl!!!!:goodvibes!! Too cool that you would try all the rides this year.

Looking forward to the rest of your AK day!!!

[Mysteria]

Everything looked so good! Even the stuff I know I wouldn't like still looked good. :rotfl: Now I'm not a huge fan of mixed drinks but I must say the Yak Attack sounds divine! Oh and that sundae. I'm drooling.

Ok is it just my warped sense of humor or does anyone else laugh at a restaurant with the word Yak in it? :rotfl:

Agree with Luis. We need some pics of the grand opening.

[Kalamazoo Dutchman]

Alan you are so right about the Animal Kingdom being such a visually pleasing theme park. I agree that if there were more rides and attractions, I think it would be a lot of people's favorite. EE is my favorite! Great trip report!

[TigerKat]

Another request for Dawgs grand opening pics!:flower3:

[KatMark]

Another request for Dawgs grand opening pics!:flower3:

Ditto--I'd like to see too!

[disneyfan61]

Ditto--I'd like to see too!

Me too!!!!!

[kmartin555]

Great report, as always! How are things going in the hot dog business?

[Bibbidi]

Love the photos and Yak and Yeti review. That restaurant is on my list of "must do's" for our next trip! Glad you enjoyed it just as much the second time around. That's when you know you're onto something good!

[mjejj]

I'm loving your trip report. I read your first one and I just have to comment on this one. Your family seems to have such a great attitude!!! Can't wait to read more and good luck with your restaurant!!!

[portocall]

I figured you would still be super busy with your restaurant so I hadn't checked in a while... boy was I surprised. I am glad you enjoyed your meal at Ohana. I have never been to Animal Kingdom but I can't wait to go. Your pictures were fantastic. What is so horrible at the end of "it's tough to be a bug?" I am a little nervous bringing my almost 5 year old in there, would he be okay if I cover his eyes or should he skip it?

[Disney owl]

Really enjoying reading these

[alan_renfroe]

Guess what I ordered at Yak & Yeti The Shrimp and Steak and the Fried Wontons !!! Yes they were great ! I kinda liked the look of Wils Shrimp Lomein too!! I think the girls would love the ribs !! Darn it Alan ya keep giving me ideas !!!:lmao:

Yeah, that shrimp lo mein looks really good....but I figure I can get that back at home. Wil just LOVES it! Leave it to me to keep giving you ideas!

Hooray! YAK & YETI still gets an "A" from the Big Guy! We'll definitely have to go back there again next year. Those ribs look really, really good (and they have to be better than the ones at WCC).

Thanks for yet another great review, Alan. Sorry about the horrible service though.

Oh absolutely! And I would agree that the ribs at Y&Y are better than those at WCC, although they are two completely different tastes.

Even though the service was bad, I think it was an isolated individual. It certainly did not ruin our experience.

Great Yak and Yeti review! We have an ADR for our second day - my DF is so excited Asia is his favourite part of the WDW! I just hope we don't egt your server!

When you go, if you're server says he is from Alabama, ASK FOR ANOTHER TABLE! :eek: Ah, really it wasn't THAT bad....and the great food MORE than made up for it.

I :lovestruc Team Renfroe dining reviews! I HAVE to try Y&Y this trip. Particularly that Yak Attack... :rolleyes1

Ah, thanks Christine! We give the Yak Attack and the Emperor's Margarita two thumbs up. :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2

Alan:
Not a fan of Chinese or Asian food but I might have to make an exception based on what I see here! These reviews are great and the pictures of the food make me absolutely drool. Gotta go get a bib now:rotfl2:

If you don't like traditional Chinese food, you might still enjoy those ribs. Also, my Ahi Tuna appetizer was TO DIE FOR.

'burp'....now THAT was good! :thumbsup2:goodvibes That shrimp and steak thing looked so good! Was that brown rice with the ribs? I practically had my nose pressed up to the screen trying to get a whiff of the chocolate brownies.......YUM! Thanks daddy.......I really was hungry.....LOL:rotfl2:

Yeah, that's brown rice with the ribs. Both of those are wonderful dishes. And did I mention how awesome my Ahi Tuna appetizer was? <drool>

You are welcome - now go clean your room!

Wonderful report! I am bummed that I caught up because I want to keep reading, LOL.

You definitely have me thinking about the Flying Fish. Hmmm.....

Thanks! More report is on the way. Flying Fish will DEFINITELY be on our list for our next trip. They treated us like royalty.

Your Yak and yeti review has given me a wicked craving for Chinese food! It looks delicious! Sadly, my kids won't even try Chinese food :confused:(or much else, really). They have no idea what they are missing. Just sad. Great pics of FOTLK - I'm hoping to catch this show, too.:goodvibes

I guess that I thought the Festival of the Lion King would be a little too cheesy for my taste. It's actually more "Cirque De Solei" than Community Theatre.

Yak & Yeti is really good. Perhaps your kids can find something on the menu they would be willing to experiment with - it is a vast menu.

see.. now was that so hard you food flirt:love: great review and great pics! i truly appreciate it! this is one of the places that i am most looking forward too! mostly for the won ton dessert.. but the more I see it, the more I want that steak and shrimp! can't wait for you to read my review!!

You are going to LOVE that wonton dessert. And the Shaoxing Steak & Shrimp is really good. The shrimp is fresh and fried in a delicious batter, and the steak is a skirt steak that is very tender. I'm sure this is probably one of their top selling dishes.

And, YOU ARE WELCOME!! Can't wait to read about your upcoming trip! And you'd BETTER take food pics for all of us food junkies. LOVE the DxDDP!

Was finally able to catch up! Great pictures!

Thanks!

I have to start off by saying your trip report is definitely in my top 10 of all time favorites, you are doing an amazing job:cool1:

I was talking to my sis Purplepeg and I told her she too needs to sub to this one, I love your upbeat attitude, you get it!! I told her "they just love being there and it comes through in his writing and pictures" even when you have a not so stellar experience (that woman on the tram that said No, you left your son behind...have to tell you that infuriated me, why are people so mean) you alway let it go and remember that you're blessed to be able to enjoy this wonderful place with your adorable family!:lovestruc

We are leaving on Monday morning for 3 weeks in WDW...we can't wait....this is the first time we're going for 3 and feel truly blessed. I was so excited to read your review on Yak and Yeti...we're there on Wednesday and now I don't even have to look at the menu, I know exactly what I'm ordering:banana:

Thank you again for your wonderful insite into this beautiful place:worship:

Wow! Thanks very much! Before we went to WDW on our first trip, reading other people's trip reports taught us a lot about what to do, where to go, etc. SO, we were determined to do a trip report of our own when we returned home from our trip last year. It was SO much fun, we decided to do another one this year!

You are absolutely right when you say we just love being there! Hey, it's Disney World! If you can't be happy here, you just can't be happy! Besides, our lives are so hectic that we really appreciate the times when we get to be together as a family. We know and understand that these are special times in our lives. We are all pretty much healthy....and I can't stress this enough...our kids will only be 12 & 9 respectively ONCE. They are growing up so fast that we fully intend to take advantage of this time in our lives.

Cool! Three weeks at Disney! That's wonderful! I hope you all have a wonderful, happy, safe, and blessed time at WDW.

[MagicShell]

It sounds like you had a wonderful time at AK. I think it is very pretty too, but it is so big! I get turned around so much in that park. We also love FOTLK. I am glad you got to see it. My husband would like the Yak and Yeti restaurant. But, I am a very picky eater and won't try many things. Maybe I should branch out a little. I must admit that your food looks really good.

[alan_renfroe]

Alan has a talent for pickingyour menu choices :rotfl2:I know I have been severely influenced by him!! He better be seriously considering June 2012 although I think he is !!!:worship:

:rotfl2: Yes I do! and we definitely are!

Wonderful posts, Alan!

Have to agree with The Lion King show, the cast gives a impressive, full of energy performance.

Your Y&Y posts brought back a lot of memories, as our experience was almost identical: bad server, wonderful food!!. I don't even remember the name of the guy, I must have blocked it out of my mind!!:rolleyes:

I think my wife agrees with Elizabeth's choice!! She had the ribs last year and enjoyed them very much... And that Tuna of yours... I have to convince Mercedes to eat out today, in a good Asian Restaurant and order seared tuna (Although I do have to admit yours looks insuperable)...

Regards,

Luis

P.S. You owe us some photos of B.F. Dwags Grand Opening!!

[Editing] After I wrote my post I showed my wife the photos of your Yak&Yeti post. Her only comment: Let's go and eat seared Tuna!! Great minds think alike...

Hi Luis! It was YOUR trip report that made Elizabeth want to order those ribs in the first place...so we have YOU to thank! As I stated, I almost ordered them myself, and probably would have if I had not already eaten ribs twice in the first two days.

That Ahi Tuna was amazing!! I love a good seared tuna with wasabi and soy sauce, but this was served with a wasabi aioli drizzle. It was sort of spicy and sweet. And the tuna was served over a bed of sweet chili slaw. Delicious!

You are right - I DO owe everyone some pictures of the restaurant. Although we have not had our "official" Grand Opening, (which will be the last weekend of August,) the restaurant is open for business for what we call a soft opening. We haven't had an opportunity to take any pics yet, but I will definitely be doing so in the next week or so. We just got our signs up this past week, and we still have some more decorating to do....but we are almost there!

That food looks soooooooooo good - my gang will definately be having lunch there on our next holiday.

Looking forward to reading more. Thanks for the wonderful updates :)

I hope you all will enjoy Yak & Yeti as much as we did. I read lots of posts from people who do NOT like it, but we absolutely love this place.

Great update Alan. Now I want to try Yak & Yeti!! We have not tried it yet but probably will during our anniversary trip next May.

It would definitely make a nice lunch place for your anniversary trip.

Wow, what awesome FOTLK, safari and food porn pictures!! Thank you for sharing all of your memories with us Renfroes!!:goodvibes

Juliana, you go girl!!!!:goodvibes!! Too cool that you would try all the rides this year.

Looking forward to the rest of your AK day!!!

Thanks very much! I was very proud of Juliana for trying many of the bigger rides this year. She didn't like Expedition Everest because of the backwards part, but otherwise she enjoyed it. She loved Dinosaur!

Everything looked so good! Even the stuff I know I wouldn't like still looked good. :rotfl: Now I'm not a huge fan of mixed drinks but I must say the Yak Attack sounds divine! Oh and that sundae. I'm drooling.

Ok is it just my warped sense of humor or does anyone else laugh at a restaurant with the word Yak in it? :rotfl:

Agree with Luis. We need some pics of the grand opening.

Oh, I'm with you 100% on the name of the restaurant!! Last year, Juliana was really sick at her stomach on our Animal Kingdom day. After riding Expedition Everest, I joked with the family, "Well...we've seen the Yeti. Let's just hope we don't have to see the Yak!"

Pics from the restaurant are promised in the near future! Stay tuned!

Alan you are so right about the Animal Kingdom being such a visually pleasing theme park. I agree that if there were more rides and attractions, I think it would be a lot of people's favorite. EE is my favorite! Great trip report!

Glad you agree with me. I think if Animal Kingdom had about three more thrill rides, it would be my favorite park. Hope those Imagineers are planning something even as we speak! I hope the economy doesn't slow the progress of WDW.

Another request for Dawgs grand opening pics!:flower3:

Ditto--I'd like to see too!

Me too!!!!!

Ahhh....you all are TOO sweet! I will make sure to take some pics and post them. In the meantime, someone we know took a few pictures on the day we first opened and posted them on our Facebook group. I will post them. By the way, if any of you are on Facebook, search for "Fans of B.F. Dawgs" and join our group!

Great report, as always! How are things going in the hot dog business?

They are going great! We are SO busy and school hasn't even started yet! We live in a college town, so we are expecting even better business once the students get back in late August.

[alan_renfroe]

Love the photos and Yak and Yeti review. That restaurant is on my list of "must do's" for our next trip! Glad you enjoyed it just as much the second time around. That's when you know you're onto something good!

From now on, if we are going to Animal Kingdom, we will always try to get a reservation for lunch at Yak & Yeti. It is a wonderful break.

I'm loving your trip report. I read your first one and I just have to comment on this one. Your family seems to have such a great attitude!!! Can't wait to read more and good luck with your restaurant!!!

Thank you VERY much! Thanks for reading and following along.

I figured you would still be super busy with your restaurant so I hadn't checked in a while... boy was I surprised. I am glad you enjoyed your meal at Ohana. I have never been to Animal Kingdom but I can't wait to go. Your pictures were fantastic. What is so horrible at the end of "it's tough to be a bug?" I am a little nervous bringing my almost 5 year old in there, would he be okay if I cover his eyes or should he skip it?

Glad you are all caught up! Animal Kingdom is great! If you are planning a multi-day vacation, I would definitely schedule at day at AK. You can go early and be done by mid afternoon. I do wish they had a few more rides, but otherwise, it is a MUST see. Expedition Everest is one of the coolest rides I've ever experienced!

Okay, here's the scoup on "It's Tough to be a Bug." SPOILER ALERT!! Do not read this if you don't want to know what happens...

... The show begins very cheerfully with Flick making his introductions and declaring everyone in the audience as "honorary bugs" for the day. Everything is great and wonderful until Hopper shows up. Hopper reminds Flick of how humans kill bugs and then begins to terrorize the audience. The audience is sprayed with "bug killer" (actually just mist) and the room gets dark. Spiders decend from the ceiling. Bugs are released in numbers upon you, and the tactile effects of the chairs make it feel like you are getting shocked by bugs. For adults without kids, the whole thing is hilarious!! However, for the kids, it is like a nightmare coming to life. There is NO WAY they should let kids under 8 in to see this thing....unless your kid is very couragious. Inevitably, with each showing of "It's Tough to be a Bug," you will hear TONS of screams from children. Uh....very 'un-Disney-like' experience overall. Long story short: I wouldn't subject your 5-yr-old to it.

Really enjoying reading these

Thanks! Glad to have you along for the ride!

It sounds like you had a wonderful time at AK. I think it is very pretty too, but it is so big! I get turned around so much in that park. We also love FOTLK. I am glad you got to see it. My husband would like the Yak and Yeti restaurant. But, I am a very picky eater and won't try many things. Maybe I should branch out a little. I must admit that your food looks really good.

Animal Kingdom is really big...that's why I'm hopeful that in the future there will be more attractions...but not at the expense of the beauty of the park. There's a lot of walking to do in this park.

[alan_renfroe]

After a wonderful lunch at Yak & Yeti, we were ready to face the rain outside. We put on our rain panchos and carried on...

Since Yak & Yeti is located very near Kali River Rapids, and it was raining anyway, we decided to get in the standby line. Score! The rain had sent many people out of the park....so we were able to walk right with less than a 5-minute wait! We enjoyed it so much that we decided to ride again. And Again!!! Hey, why not? We're already wet, there's no line...we practically had it to ourselves!

After riding Kali River Rapids three times, we decided to go back to Expedition Everest and use our FastPasses. When we got there, it was closed for repairs....so we went on over to DinoLand again. This time, we rode Primeval Whirl. Again, last year Juliana would not ride this ride....but she did this year! However, I think she had made up her mind before even getting on the ride that she was not going to like it. She screamed the whole time! Oh well....maybe next year! This was Elizabeth's first time to ride as well, and she LOVED it!

After Primeval Whirl, we decided to walk back over to Expedition Everest to see if it was running again. SCORE! It was back up and running! Since Juliana did not like the part where it goes backwards, she decided to sit this one out. Since we had four FastPasses, I stayed with Juliana while Wil & Elizabeth rode. Afterwards, Wil and I used the last two FastPasses and rode together. Riding EE in the rain is exilerating!!!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-175.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-176.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-177.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-178.jpg

It was now about 3:00pm. We were drenched from head to toe and had pretty much done everything we wanted to do, so we left the park. By the time we got back to Coronado Springs, the rain had stopped....so we put on our swim suits and went to the Dig Site Pool! Since it was still overcast, we literally had the entire pool to ourselves!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-183.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-184.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-185.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-188.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-186.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-190.jpg

Wil must have gone down that Jaquar slide at least 50 times! No lines....they had the whole place to themselves!

Meanwhile, Elizabeth and I decided to stroll over to Siesta's for an adult beverage.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-179.jpg

We both ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. Very refreshing!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-182.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-180.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-181.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-189.jpg

We had taken a picture of the kids at the Dig Site pool last year, so we had to take another in the same spot again this year!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-191.jpg

What a great day we were having! Early Extra Magic Hour at Animal Kingdom, an awesome lunch at Yak & Yeti, and the entire Dig Site pool to ourselves for the entire afternoon! It was now time to go back to the room and get ready for dinner.

Coming up next - Getting ready to go to dinner at Narcoossee's!

[KatMark]

[FONT="Verdana"][SIZE="3"]
It was now about 3:00pm. We were drenched from head to toe and had pretty much done everything we wanted to do, so we left the park. By the time we got back to Coronado Springs, the rain had stopped....so we put on our swim suits and went to the Dig Site Pool! Since it was still overcast, we literally had the entire pool to ourselves!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-183.jpg




Yes, the Dig Site is calling me home. 38 more days!!!! And I became a fan of B.F. Dawgs on Facebook. :banana:

[brookelizabeth]

Wonderful AK pictures Alan! I'm loving your past few updates-what a truly magical day. :goodvibes:

We really enjoyed our meal at Y&Y too, we hope to go back soon and try it again!

[brookelizabeth]

I joined your B.F. Dawgs page on Facebook too! :thumbsup2:

[MagicShell]

I love no crowds.:cheer2: I can't agree with Elizabeth's love of Primeval Whirl. That ride HURT! I am glad she enjoyed it though.

[crocko]

I must chime in to give some props for Primeval Whirl.

That ride rocks!!

[trennr]

Hey

Been silently reading your TR. (Though I accidentaly made a post to your thread while thinking I was posting to another a few weeks back. :blush: )

Anyway love the report...and all the pictures...you do a much better job than I did taking Pictures...I forget I have a camera most of the time.

Hope BF Dawgs is going well. :thumbsup2

[twenty3curls]

Sounds like you had a great day at Animal Kingdom, despite the weather! More people should take the weather in stride and enjoy the day the way Team Renfroe did!

On a sidenote, I was catching up on Dis TRs this past Saturday and was bummed I had reached your last update on this current TR, so I went back and read your TR from last year. Looked like a fantastic trip...great report! Just thought I'd mention it. :goodvibes

[MeMom]

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-191.jpg

What a great day we were having! Early Extra Magic Hour at Animal Kingdom, an awesome lunch at Yak & Yeti, and the entire Dig Site pool to ourselves for the entire afternoon! It was now time to go back to the room and get ready for dinner.

Coming up next - Getting ready to go to dinner at Narcoossee's!





Yep, that is the life!!!
How nice to have an empty pool!

Look at those sweet kids. You are a lucky man, Alan!

That's what Animal Kingdom looked like for us this trip, too. Lots of rain gear all around. :)

[Mysteria]

Ewwww Primevel Hurl. :rotfl: Makes me want to yak. :thumbsup2 Honestly I can ride the wickedest of roller coasters but things like PW and the teacups scare the crap outta me. Dumbo too. Darn thing just goes in a circle and makes me sick. :lmao:

You need to get a pic of the kids every year in that same spot now!

[PracPerfPatricia]

I've always thought that AK was a very "photogenic" park -your gorgeous photos capture it so well...

I'm really glad you liked Yak & Yeti-we'll be eating there next week...:woohoo: I wonder what they'd think if we tell them we'd prefer no waiters from Alabama...:confused3-they'll probably think we're some mean old Yankees...

Loved the pool pictures-especially the one with Juliana and Wil in front of the pyramid...

Hmm...I don't think there's too much tea-in those Long Island Iced Teas...:rolleyes1

[englishrose47]

First yet another great Update Alan !! How cool to have the pool to yourselves !! Add me to the list of wanting Pix of the Hot Dawgs !!!!!

[inkedupmomma]

"You are going to LOVE that wonton dessert. And the Shaoxing Steak & Shrimp is really good. The shrimp is fresh and fried in a delicious batter, and the steak is a skirt steak that is very tender. I'm sure this is probably one of their top selling dishes. And, YOU ARE WELCOME!! Can't wait to read about your upcoming trip! And you'd BETTER take food pics for all of us food junkies. LOVE the DxDDP!"

I already know that I am going to love it lol.. what's NOT to love?? I am glad that you liked the steak and shrimp, most people say it isn't great! iam stoked to try it! I will def be taking food pics! i did last year as well, but then was so overwhlemed when I got home, that I rarely posted them! Now I promise to post pics for you! if there is anything you want me to pay special attention to off my list, please let me know!






After a wonderful lunch at Yak & Yeti, we were ready to face the rain outside. We put on our rain panchos and carried on...

Since Yak & Yeti is located very near Kali River Rapids, and it was raining anyway, we decided to get in the standby line. Score! The rain had sent many people out of the park....so we were able to walk right with less than a 5-minute wait! We enjoyed it so much that we decided to ride again. And Again!!! Hey, why not? We're already wet, there's no line...we practically had it to ourselves!

After riding Kali River Rapids three times, we decided to go back to Expedition Everest and use our FastPasses. When we got there, it was closed for repairs....so we went on over to DinoLand again. This time, we rode Primeval Whirl. Again, last year Juliana would not ride this ride....but she did this year! However, I think she had made up her mind before even getting on the ride that she was not going to like it. She screamed the whole time! Oh well....maybe next year! This was Elizabeth's first time to ride as well, and she LOVED it!

After Primeval Whirl, we decided to walk back over to Expedition Everest to see if it was running again. SCORE! It was back up and running! Since Juliana did not like the part where it goes backwards, she decided to sit this one out. Since we had four FastPasses, I stayed with Juliana while Wil & Elizabeth rode. Afterwards, Wil and I used the last two FastPasses and rode together. Riding EE in the rain is exilerating!!!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-175.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-176.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-177.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-178.jpg

It was now about 3:00pm. We were drenched from head to toe and had pretty much done everything we wanted to do, so we left the park. By the time we got back to Coronado Springs, the rain had stopped....so we put on our swim suits and went to the Dig Site Pool! Since it was still overcast, we literally had the entire pool to ourselves!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-183.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-184.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-185.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-188.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-186.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-190.jpg

Wil must have gone down that Jaquar slide at least 50 times! No lines....they had the whole place to themselves!

Meanwhile, Elizabeth and I decided to stroll over to Siesta's for an adult beverage.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-179.jpg

We both ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. Very refreshing!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-182.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-180.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-181.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-189.jpg

We had taken a picture of the kids at the Dig Site pool last year, so we had to take another in the same spot again this year!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/04-191.jpg

What a great day we were having! Early Extra Magic Hour at Animal Kingdom, an awesome lunch at Yak & Yeti, and the entire Dig Site pool to ourselves for the entire afternoon! It was now time to go back to the room and get ready for dinner.

Coming up next - Getting ready to go to dinner at Narcoossee's!





Again, thank you thank you thank you! your Tr alone has gotten me through the time I had to wait for my own trip! and your pics are absolutely kiling me with excitement to stay at CSR!! I just know I am going to love it! The pool alone is why we are staying there and your pics just sealed the deal even more! I also plan on getting a pic of Jack and Kayla at that same spot in the pool! CAN'T wait to hear your review on Narcooses! We have gotten an ADR 2 years in a row and 2 years in a ow have canceled it:sad2:

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Had a few days to catch up on...done!! I love reading this especially for all of your dining reviews! I think you ate at almost every place we picked to eat on our Dec trip!! LOL It helps to get your point of view! Y & Y is one that i am REALLY looking forward to!!

[KatMark]

Alan, I just had to tell you. I got Yak & Yeti today for our AK day. I am so happy, especially after your second great review, that we're going back.

[Janet B]

Hi Alan,
I just finished getting caught up on your TR. I’ve been seriously, seriously behind, so …
FIRST, belated Congrats on the successful opening of B.F. Dawgs! Your website is terrific! Your smokey mountain sundae looks divine. (But Alan, no Kramer’s muffin tops on the menu??)

The DISmeet pics look great. How nice you had a surprise guest. I love the fact that people were taking pics of you guys! Actually, all your pics are great. You have a way not only with taking pics, but in telling your story. No wonder you have so many followers on your TR.:goodvibes

We love O’hanas too … mmm the pot stickers, wings, and the MEAT!! We did get a ressie for our Sept trip (9:20 pm – that’s all they had, but hey, I’m in!).

Yak & Yeti looks wonderful … maybe on my next trip. BTW, I love EE too, one of my favs.:thumbsup2

Looking forward to reading more ...

Janet

[kmartin555]

So glad to hear the restaurant is taking off! :yay: Congratulations!

Can't wait to hear about Narcoossee!

[SunnieRN]

Wow, I can't believe that empty pool!! Very cool!!

Looking forward to your dinner review!!

[dvc4life]

Great day Alan!

I can't wait to hear about Narcossee's. We will be dining there on Sept 17th! :woohoo:

[bwmmfan]

I am impressed with the way you tour the parks. You take it easy relax and have a great pace. You see it all or all you want to see. We do comando touring. By the end of the week we are tired and patients are thin. Do you end up that way?

[alan_renfroe]

Yes, the Dig Site is calling me home. 38 more days!!!! And I became a fan of B.F. Dawgs on Facebook. :banana:

Ah yes...it won't be long now! Can't wait to read YOUR trip report and see YOUR CSR photos!

Oh, and thanks for becoming a B.F. Dawgs fan!

Wonderful AK pictures Alan! I'm loving your past few updates-what a truly magical day. :goodvibes:

We really enjoyed our meal at Y&Y too, we hope to go back soon and try it again!

Thanks, Brook! This day was really wonderful.

I joined your B.F. Dawgs page on Facebook too! :thumbsup2:

Cool! Did you see those pictures from opening day? I can't get them to load on photobucket, or I would share them with everyone.

I love no crowds.:cheer2: I can't agree with Elizabeth's love of Primeval Whirl. That ride HURT! I am glad she enjoyed it though.

No crowds rule! Nothing like early mornings and rainy weather to scare people away! Frankly, I'd rather deal with rain than heat.

Yeah, Primeval Whirl isn't for everyone. The first time I rode it, it kind of hurt me too...but not this time. Maybe that's because I was too busy trying to console poor Juliana!

I must chime in to give some props for Primeval Whirl.

That ride rocks!!

I certainly liked it much better this year than last year.

Hey

Been silently reading your TR. (Though I accidentaly made a post to your thread while thinking I was posting to another a few weeks back. :blush: )

Anyway love the report...and all the pictures...you do a much better job than I did taking Pictures...I forget I have a camera most of the time.

Hope BF Dawgs is going well. :thumbsup2

Welcome aboard! Thanks for the wonderful comments. In the days leading up to our trip, I had nightmares about being four or five days into our vacation and forgetting to take any pictures!! How sad is that?

B.F. Dawgs is going great! Thanks!

Sounds like you had a great day at Animal Kingdom, despite the weather! More people should take the weather in stride and enjoy the day the way Team Renfroe did!

On a sidenote, I was catching up on Dis TRs this past Saturday and was bummed I had reached your last update on this current TR, so I went back and read your TR from last year. Looked like a fantastic trip...great report! Just thought I'd mention it. :goodvibes

I totally agree - when you are on vacation, just take the weather in stride. Yes, it is inconvenient....but the tradeoff is that you get low crowds and no long waits.

Thanks for mentioning the previous trip report! We had a great time putting that one together, and I couldn't wait to get back and start this one this year!

Yep, that is the life!!!
How nice to have an empty pool!

Look at those sweet kids. You are a lucky man, Alan!

That's what Animal Kingdom looked like for us this trip, too. Lots of rain gear all around. :)

You are right - I AM a lucky man!

Ewwww Primevel Hurl. :rotfl: Makes me want to yak. :thumbsup2 Honestly I can ride the wickedest of roller coasters but things like PW and the teacups scare the crap outta me. Dumbo too. Darn thing just goes in a circle and makes me sick. :lmao:

You need to get a pic of the kids every year in that same spot now!

:rotfl2: Primeval Hurl! I haven't heard that one before! :rotfl2:

Isn't it funny how you can ride these mega-coasters and thrill rides, but something about spinning still makes ya queezy!

[alan_renfroe]

I've always thought that AK was a very "photogenic" park -your gorgeous photos capture it so well...

I'm really glad you liked Yak & Yeti-we'll be eating there next week...:woohoo: I wonder what they'd think if we tell them we'd prefer no waiters from Alabama...:confused3-they'll probably think we're some mean old Yankees...

Loved the pool pictures-especially the one with Juliana and Wil in front of the pyramid...

Hmm...I don't think there's too much tea-in those Long Island Iced Teas...:rolleyes1

Oh you lucky devil! Wish I were having Yak & Yeti for lunch today! YUM!

I think the dig site pool at Coronado Springs is the most awesome pool anywhere. I keep telling myself that we are going to reserve one day the next time we go just to hang out at the pool. (and Siesta's, of course!)

First yet another great Update Alan !! How cool to have the pool to yourselves !! Add me to the list of wanting Pix of the Hot Dawgs !!!!!

Thanks Rosie! Hopefully we can get some pictures of the restaurant posted soon.

"You are going to LOVE that wonton dessert. And the Shaoxing Steak & Shrimp is really good. The shrimp is fresh and fried in a delicious batter, and the steak is a skirt steak that is very tender. I'm sure this is probably one of their top selling dishes. And, YOU ARE WELCOME!! Can't wait to read about your upcoming trip! And you'd BETTER take food pics for all of us food junkies. LOVE the DxDDP!"

I already know that I am going to love it lol.. what's NOT to love?? I am glad that you liked the steak and shrimp, most people say it isn't great! iam stoked to try it! I will def be taking food pics! i did last year as well, but then was so overwhlemed when I got home, that I rarely posted them! Now I promise to post pics for you! if there is anything you want me to pay special attention to off my list, please let me know!

Again, thank you thank you thank you! your Tr alone has gotten me through the time I had to wait for my own trip! and your pics are absolutely kiling me with excitement to stay at CSR!! I just know I am going to love it! The pool alone is why we are staying there and your pics just sealed the deal even more! I also plan on getting a pic of Jack and Kayla at that same spot in the pool! CAN'T wait to hear your review on Narcooses! We have gotten an ADR 2 years in a row and 2 years in a ow have canceled it:sad2:

Love, love, LOVE CSR!!! When we originally booked this trip, we were going to stay at Pop Century in order to save some money. However, when Disney came out with the 'buy 4, get 3 free' deal, we upgraded to CSR. As you may know, last year was our very first trip to Disney and we stayed at CSR. As we pulled into Disney World this year I kept thinking to myself, "I can't even imagine having to drive by CSR to stay at Pop Century...it would feel like I was driving past my home!"

Narcoossee's review is on the way.

Had a few days to catch up on...done!! I love reading this especially for all of your dining reviews! I think you ate at almost every place we picked to eat on our Dec trip!! LOL It helps to get your point of view! Y & Y is one that i am REALLY looking forward to!!

Cool! I love doing dining reviews. You can probably tell from our pictures....we are a family that LOVES to eat.

Alan, I just had to tell you. I got Yak & Yeti today for our AK day. I am so happy, especially after your second great review, that we're going back.

Yay! I don't know if you like seared ahi tuna or not, but it is my favorite thing on the menu...closely followed by those fried wontons.

Hi Alan,
I just finished getting caught up on your TR. I’ve been seriously, seriously behind, so …
FIRST, belated Congrats on the successful opening of B.F. Dawgs! Your website is terrific! Your smokey mountain sundae looks divine. (But Alan, no Kramer’s muffin tops on the menu??)

The DISmeet pics look great. How nice you had a surprise guest. I love the fact that people were taking pics of you guys! Actually, all your pics are great. You have a way not only with taking pics, but in telling your story. No wonder you have so many followers on your TR.:goodvibes

We love O’hanas too … mmm the pot stickers, wings, and the MEAT!! We did get a ressie for our Sept trip (9:20 pm – that’s all they had, but hey, I’m in!).

Yak & Yeti looks wonderful … maybe on my next trip. BTW, I love EE too, one of my favs.:thumbsup2

Looking forward to reading more ...

Janet

Thanks for the congrats on the business! So far, so good.

Digital cameras are great, aren't they? I just keep my camera with me as we walk around, and I just snap random shots so that I can tell the story later. Doing the trip report actually helps me to relive the wonderful experience.

'Ohana reservations at 9:20? Wow...don't fall asleep in one of those dipping sauces! :rotfl2: Seriously though, great that you got reservations! I think on our next trip I would like to go here on our first night.

So glad to hear the restaurant is taking off! :yay: Congratulations!

Can't wait to hear about Narcoossee!

Narcoossee's review and pictures are loading into photobucket even as I type this post!

Wow, I can't believe that empty pool!! Very cool!!

Looking forward to your dinner review!!

Can you imagine having the entire pool to yourself? I mean, even though it was overcast, it was still like 80 degrees and no thunder. We certainly enjoyed that.

Great day Alan!

I can't wait to hear about Narcossee's. We will be dining there on Sept 17th! :woohoo:

One word: lobster

I am impressed with the way you tour the parks. You take it easy relax and have a great pace. You see it all or all you want to see. We do comando touring. By the end of the week we are tired and patients are thin. Do you end up that way?

I guess we sort of take an approach to touring the parks that is somewhere between commando-ish and steady. We try to keep in mind that we are on vacation, but when we first arrive at the parks we do as much as we can as fast as we can before the crowds get there. That way, we can sort of take a more relaxed pace later in the day. And even still, we end up VERY tired. You saw what happened to us on that Sunday at Epcot when we didn't have an afternoon break! Whew!

[alan_renfroe]

We were having an absolutely wonderful day on this day! Yes, it had been rainy...but we had made the best of it for sure. With the hurried pace of the first three days, this was the day that finally felt like we were actually on vacation.

After enjoying Animal Kingdom and an afternoon at the pool, it was time to go to dinner at Narcoossee's. It was rainy and dreary, but we were all in a good mood and ready for dinner. We took the bus to the Magic Kingdom.

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Once we arrived at the Magic Kingdom, we took the ferry boat over to the Grand Floridian and Narcoossee's.

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We arrived about 10 minutes before our reservations and we were seated within 5 minutes.

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Coming up next - dinner at Narcoossee's and the end of Day 4.

[DoctorK]

Loving the reports BFM! We'll be at CSR next week, and we're renting a car, but we might bus it over to MK. What was your CSR bus experience for the week?

[inkedupmomma]

first off.. you suck.. way to leave us hanging! but cute pics thus far..now omnto commenting what you commented on my comment:confused3

Alan replied:

"Love, love, LOVE CSR!!! When we originally booked this trip, we were going to stay at Pop Century in order to save some money. However, when Disney came out with the 'buy 4, get 3 free' deal, we upgraded to CSR. As you may know, last year was our very first trip to Disney and we stayed at CSR. As we pulled into Disney World this year I kept thinking to myself, "I can't even imagine having to drive by CSR to stay at Pop Century...it would feel like I was driving past my home!"

Narcoossee's review is on the way."

Now i say, yay for you getting that 4 for 3 deal. John and I kinda wanna try a new hotel next year, just for new experiences and story telling, but I have a sneaking suspiscion I am going to love CSR too much! I'm actually sad to not be staying at an aAll Stars.. i fel so greateful for those value resorts to be there. other wise i would have never been able to afford our first two trips! All star movies will always hold a special place in my heart!

and yeah yeah yeah... get to the review! ;)

[wdwmoxie]

I like your report and pics. Thank you so much.

[MaryAz]

All caught up. We loved Y&Y as well. Even the kids! When you guys thinking of going again?? There are a couple of us MMM's going again in May. Just sayin......

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

OOOOOOO! Narcoossee's is another one that we were considering for our December trip...between that and California Grill!

[aprilisis]

I'm all caught up- can't wait for more!!

[alan_renfroe]

Loving the reports BFM! We'll be at CSR next week, and we're renting a car, but we might bus it over to MK. What was your CSR bus experience for the week?

Thanks! Hope you have a WONDERFUL time at CSR! Our bus experience was mostly positive. We did have one morning where we had reservations at Crystal Palace inside the Magic Kingdom...and the bus wait ended up being 50 minutes! I was NOT happy about that at all. (More on that in the report).

Anyway, have an AWESOME time and take lots of pictures!

first off.. you suck.. way to leave us hanging! but cute pics thus far..now omnto commenting what you commented on my comment:confused3

Alan replied:

"Love, love, LOVE CSR!!! When we originally booked this trip, we were going to stay at Pop Century in order to save some money. However, when Disney came out with the 'buy 4, get 3 free' deal, we upgraded to CSR. As you may know, last year was our very first trip to Disney and we stayed at CSR. As we pulled into Disney World this year I kept thinking to myself, "I can't even imagine having to drive by CSR to stay at Pop Century...it would feel like I was driving past my home!"

Narcoossee's review is on the way."

Now i say, yay for you getting that 4 for 3 deal. John and I kinda wanna try a new hotel next year, just for new experiences and story telling, but I have a sneaking suspiscion I am going to love CSR too much! I'm actually sad to not be staying at an aAll Stars.. i fel so greateful for those value resorts to be there. other wise i would have never been able to afford our first two trips! All star movies will always hold a special place in my heart!

and yeah yeah yeah... get to the review! ;)

Uh....yes....I know I suck. And I just KNEW you were going to be the one to call me on it! :rotfl2: I had full intentions of going ahead and posting the Narcoossee's chapter immediately after this last chapter, but work got in the way. Wouldn't you know it?

Yes, I am very glad they have those value resorts also. I would rather stay at a value resort ON property than a luxury place OFF property...simply because I love being at Disney World! I would hate to leave the property everyday! That being said, there will probably be a trip in our not-too-distant future where we stay off property and do Universal Studios, Sea World, etc......but not until the kids are older.

I like your report and pics. Thank you so much.

Thanks very much!

All caught up. We loved Y&Y as well. Even the kids! When you guys thinking of going again?? There are a couple of us MMM's going again in May. Just sayin......

Hi Mary! Hope all is well with you and your wonderful family. Right now, we have no idea for sure when we will be going back....I only know it would be May of next year at the earliest. Also, Elizabeth wants to go for her 40th birthday, which will be in 2012. SO....we don't know yet. Personally, I would love to go in May again. I'm all about the MMM! I guess it all depends on how many hot dogs we can sell?!?! :rotfl2:

OOOOOOO! Narcoossee's is another one that we were considering for our December trip...between that and California Grill!

Oohh, that's a tough one, but I would have to go with California Grill. There is absolutely NOTHING like being on the top floor of the Contemporary Resort eating sushi and watching Wishes from the balcony. Ahhh.....that's a Disney moment. We felt like such VIPs up there!

I'm all caught up- can't wait for more!!

More on the way!

[mickeystoontown]

Goodness gracious....I go to Disney for 10 days and miss pages and pages of posts. All caught up now and looking forward to reading more.

[Mysteria]

Not the food cliffhanger again!! :laughing:

[alan_renfroe]

Our dinner at Narcoossee's was very pleasant. We had eaten here last year and enjoyed it, but if it were up to Elizabeth and I, we probably would not have eaten here again this year in order to try somewhere new. However, Wil was INSISTENT about eating at Narcoossee's again this year! He LOVED it last year! It was the first time he had ever eaten lobster, and he couldn't wait to go back again this year!

Honestly, I'm glad we did go back. It is a beautiful restaurant with blue linen tablecloths, nice china, etc.

Again, we were given special menus celebrating our anniversary.

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Elizabeth and I both ordered drinks. Last year I had the raspberry mojito and it was fantastic. This year, Elizabeth decided to order the raspberry mojito and I ordered the blackberry mojito.

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Uh...I should have stayed with the raspberry mojito. I had never had a blackberry mojito, and I didn't care for it. Elizabeth's raspberry mojito, however, was terrific.

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On our way into the dining area, I happened to see the fried shrimp appetizer on someone's table. Wow....did it look great! I was going to get the crab cakes again this year, but I decided to order the Fried Gulf Shrimp instead. Nice move! It was excellent!

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Elizabeth and Wil both ordered the crab cakes. They were excellent, but not as good as the ones we had at The Flying Fish.

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Juliana got the fresh fruit appetizer.

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For her dinner entree, Juliana got the cheeseburger and french fries:

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Elizabeth, Wil and I all ordered the Whole Maine Lobster. Now THIS is the reason why we like the Deluxe Dining Plan!! Bring those bad boys on!

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Here is one happy boy!

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For dessert, I got a nice creme brulee:

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I can't remember what Wil's dessert was. He was too full to eat it anyway:

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Elizabeth got the Chocolate Cake with ice cream

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After dinner, we walked from Narcoossee's to the main building at the Grand Floridian. There was a live band and they were great! We enjoyed a few songs, then caught the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom. When we got to the Magic Kingdom, we went straight to the bus stop and there was a bus there waiting for us!

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On the bus ride back to Coronado Springs, Juliana fell asleep. Wil looked over at me and said, "Dad, this was THE best day ever." WOW! That was it! That was the magic Disney moment for me. That is what makes the whole thing worth every penny. Wil was absolutely right! We had a wonderful morning touring Animal Kingdom, a terrific lunch at Yak & Yeti, a rainy but fun afternoon, an entire pool to ourselves for the afternoon, and a great dinner at Narcoossee's with fresh Whole Maine Lobster!! Yeah, this was a great day!

Coming up next - we've been at Disney World for four whole days and still haven't been inside the Magic Kingdom! Day 5 will begin with breakfast reservations at Crystal Palace. Stay Tuned!

[inkedupmomma]

Alan says: "Uh....yes....I know I suck. And I just KNEW you were going to be the one to call me on it! I had full intentions of going ahead and posting the Narcoossee's chapter immediately after this last chapter, but work got in the way. Wouldn't you know it?

Yes, I am very glad they have those value resorts also. I would rather stay at a value resort ON property than a luxury place OFF property...simply because I love being at Disney World! I would hate to leave the property everyday! That being said, there will probably be a trip in our not-too-distant future where we stay off property and do Universal Studios, Sea World, etc......but not until the kids are older."

I say " I knew you knew I would :) that's how you and I roll. Glad we understand each other!;) Work always gets in our dang way..but hey, that work pays for our addiction!

and I COMPLETELY agree! I rather stay on property then off in a big huge place! Most people do not get that. If and when we decide to add in US and S, we will stay on property. I rather stay there and drive to those parks, then vice versa!"

Now onto your review! Awesome pics! I think we will for real for real go there next year! and Idk what got into me, but reading what your son said made me start crying... just so sweet!

[TigerKat]

Yep, you are so right, when your child tells you it was the best day ever, that's Disney Magic at it's very best!:thumbsup2

[MA pigletfan]

LOVE THIS report!! LOVE the raspberry mojitos!!! Those are my favorite drink to get at disney..i had them at the Tambu lounge at the Poly then again at Narcoosees...SOOO good! :)

[Janet B]

Alan
Great pics - makes me wish I was eating at Narcoossee's as well as Ca Grill (I can't complain, I have ressies at Flying Fish also - I will have to try the crab cakes).

You are so right, having our kids tell its us it was the greatest day ever is so worth all the time we spend planning and the saving to make our trips a reality.

Love esp. the close up pic of Elizabeth, Juliana and Will on the boat.:thumbsup2

I will have to try me a raspberry mojito next month:cool1:

[disneyfan61]

Great update Alan!! We were on vacation last week & went to an All You Can Eat Lobster place at Wells Beach (Maine) for $30.00 each. My DH & oldest DS ate 10 lobsters a piece!! My other DS & I each had 4 a piece & I thought that was good!!:) I want to try Narcoosees just because they have the lobster. What a great thing that Wil said it was the best day ever. Don't you just love hearing that???? What-No MK yet?? Great update.

[Leshaface]

As of January 2010, my DH and I will no longer be virgins to Narcoosses and i'm sooooo looking forward to it even more now, after seeing that scrumptious lobster!!!

Bring on the Magic Kingdom!:wizard:

[Mysteria]

Those pics look so good it's making me wish I liked lobster! :laughing:

[portocall]

Thanks Alan, for your honest review of "It's tough to be a bug"... I have one little boy who thanks you too! I would rather err on the side of caution than have him spend the rest of his vacation too scared to go on rides and such... I have been letting him watch youtube videos of ones that I think are maybe's...

I am gonna have to look up b.f. dawgs on facebook....

[jmamom]

Oooh, that lobster looks awesome! And Will's comment, so sweet, makes it all worth it!:goodvibes

[alan_renfroe]

Alan says: "Uh....yes....I know I suck. And I just KNEW you were going to be the one to call me on it! I had full intentions of going ahead and posting the Narcoossee's chapter immediately after this last chapter, but work got in the way. Wouldn't you know it?

Yes, I am very glad they have those value resorts also. I would rather stay at a value resort ON property than a luxury place OFF property...simply because I love being at Disney World! I would hate to leave the property everyday! That being said, there will probably be a trip in our not-too-distant future where we stay off property and do Universal Studios, Sea World, etc......but not until the kids are older."

I say " I knew you knew I would :) that's how you and I roll. Glad we understand each other!;) Work always gets in our dang way..but hey, that work pays for our addiction!

and I COMPLETELY agree! I rather stay on property then off in a big huge place! Most people do not get that. If and when we decide to add in US and S, we will stay on property. I rather stay there and drive to those parks, then vice versa!"

Now onto your review! Awesome pics! I think we will for real for real go there next year! and Idk what got into me, but reading what your son said made me start crying... just so sweet!

Hahaha....exactly! That's how we roll, IUM! You get me!

I thought that comment Wil made was so precious. In the last year, he has emerged from being my sweet son to this pre-teen who hates us and never seems to be happy. For him to voluntarily say that was huge for me. No matter how old he gets, he and I will always have a father/son bond....and that's special.

Yep, you are so right, when your child tells you it was the best day ever, that's Disney Magic at it's very best!:thumbsup2

As he is getting older, he is starting to get more skeptical...and you rarely hear him say something this positive anymore. It really made me feel good about the whole trip, our relationship with each other, and a great way to end a wonderful day.

LOVE THIS report!! LOVE the raspberry mojitos!!! Those are my favorite drink to get at disney..i had them at the Tambu lounge at the Poly then again at Narcoosees...SOOO good! :)

I love those mojitos too. They have them at the bar that connects with the Yachtsman Steak House also.

Alan
Great pics - makes me wish I was eating at Narcoossee's as well as Ca Grill (I can't complain, I have ressies at Flying Fish also - I will have to try the crab cakes).

You are so right, having our kids tell its us it was the greatest day ever is so worth all the time we spend planning and the saving to make our trips a reality.

Love esp. the close up pic of Elizabeth, Juliana and Will on the boat.:thumbsup2

I will have to try me a raspberry mojito next month:cool1:

Definitely order the crab cakes at Flying Fish! I've never had a bad crab cake at Disney...but their's is the BEST.

You know how some kids get excited when you share the details of planning the trip with them? Juliana is like that....but Wil is NOT. He wants to be surprised by the whole thing. Elizabeth, Juliana and I spend months looking over the menus at the restaurants and putting touring plans together - because it's FUN! Wil just wants to go and be spontaneous. So, I've started respecting that and he's responding very well to that.

Great update Alan!! We were on vacation last week & went to an All You Can Eat Lobster place at Wells Beach (Maine) for $30.00 each. My DH & oldest DS ate 10 lobsters a piece!! My other DS & I each had 4 a piece & I thought that was good!!:) I want to try Narcoosees just because they have the lobster. What a great thing that Wil said it was the best day ever. Don't you just love hearing that???? What-No MK yet?? Great update.

Whoa! 10 lobsters! That's like paying $3 a lobster! It's more than 10 times that much at Narcoossee's! :rotfl2:

Oh yes, I LOVED hearing that it was his "best day ever." It makes me want to cry just thinking about it! You don't get many of those kinds of days in your life.

As of January 2010, my DH and I will no longer be virgins to Narcoosses and i'm sooooo looking forward to it even more now, after seeing that scrumptious lobster!!!

Bring on the Magic Kingdom!:wizard:

YES! Bring on the Narcoossees in January! MK is coming up next.

Those pics look so good it's making me wish I liked lobster! :laughing:

Do you not like seafood, or is it just lobster that you don't eat?

Thanks Alan, for your honest review of "It's tough to be a bug"... I have one little boy who thanks you too! I would rather err on the side of caution than have him spend the rest of his vacation too scared to go on rides and such... I have been letting him watch youtube videos of ones that I think are maybe's...

I am gonna have to look up b.f. dawgs on facebook....

Oh, you are VERY welcome....and I'm glad to know that you are heeding my advice. For an adult, the whole scene is funny....but for most of the younger kids, it is terrifying to them. When we went last year, I kept thinking to myself, "why would they not do more to warn parents?"

Oooh, that lobster looks awesome! And Will's comment, so sweet, makes it all worth it!:goodvibes

You are right - it DOES make it all worth it! From that moment on, I knew that no matter what else happened, it was going to be a special vacation.

[alan_renfroe]

After a wonderful, (albeit wet,) day on Monday, we were ready to hit the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday.

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We had to get up early because we had reservations for breakfast at the Crystal Palace at 8:05am. We didn't want to be late, so we were at the bus stop by 7:10am. It was already raining pretty hard. As we made our way to the bus stop, we saw a Magic Kingdom bus pulling away....so we knew we would probably have to wait for 15 minutes or so for the next one.

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So.....we waited....

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.....and we waited....

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....and waited....

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(You know I'm bored when I start taking pictures of drink machines!)

We waited so long that we started getting seriously worried that we were not going to make our reservations at Crystal Palace. We had seen 3 Animal Kingdom buses, 4 Disney Hollywood Studios buses, and 3 Epcot buses....but no Magic Kingdom bus. It was now 7:45 and I was getting angry. :headache:

Finally, I asked the driver of a bus that was heading to DHS why we had not seen a Magic Kingdom-bound bus in over 35 minutes. He said, "Well I KNOW there has been one because I PERSONALLY drove the last one to MK and that was about 20 minutes ago!" (with a tone!) (Oh no he didn't!) (I am NOT a morning person!) So, I snapped back: "Really? Well then you didn't have your destination marked properly!" He scoffed and drove off. This day was not starting off very well.

At 7:56, a Magic Kingdom bus finally arrived. By the time we got to the Magic Kingdom, it was already 8:20 or so. We had seen the Magic Kingdom several times already on this trip, but had not been inside yet. Unfortunately, we were very very rushed to get to our destination and could not fully enjoy that magical walk down Main Street USA.

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Tony's Town Square - where Wil and I will be eating dinner tonight!

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Here is our rushed, rainy walk down Main Street USA for the first time on this trip:

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We finally arrived at Crystal Palace around 8:35...a full 30 minutes past our reservations. Fortunately, they were understanding. We had to wait about 10 minutes or so, then we were seated. Whew! That was close! Maybe now we can turn this bad start of a day around!

Coming up next - breakfast at the Crystal Palace

[KatMark]

And this is exactly WHY we drive to all the parks--including the Magic Kingdom. I was able to snag an 8:05 at CP on our Saturday in September and we will definitely be driving to the MK. Can't wait to see your review of CP. :yay:

[alan_renfroe]

Although we were 30 minutes late for our reservations at Crystal Palace, they were very accommodating and understanding.

This was our first time to eat at Crystal Palace and we were already starving for breakfast!

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-015.jpg

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I think we were all excited to see the Pooh characters! They are so cool!

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After being seated, the characters had just come by the table where we would be sitting....all except for Tigger...so we decided not to go up to the buffet until we got to meet Tigger!

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After meeting Tigger, we were ready for that buffet!

The food was Yummy...with a capital "Y". Very good food....much better than I would have expected for a huge buffet within the Magic Kingdom.

Here was my plate:

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-023.jpg

Breakfast pizza? Are you kidding me? Count me IN!

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Lots and lots of fruit:

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I did not take enough food pictures here to show just how delicious everything was....and not to get ahead of myself, but this was THE BEST breakfast of our entire trip. Crystal Palace breakfast is now on the Renfroe's MUST DO list!

Now, we were ready to meet the other characters!

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and finally.....Juliana's very favorite....EEYORE!

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Crystal Palace was a WONDERFUL experience for us. The food was awesome, the character interaction was great, and they were accommodating. I was no longer in a bad mood. We were ALL now in a good mood and ready to turn this day into a good day!

Coming up next - you can pretty much ride anything you want when it's raining! We tackle the Magic Kingdom full on. Later - lunch at The Wave. Stay Tuned!

[Mysteria]

I like other types of seafood. It's just most shellfish I don't like (love scallops though!)

Ohhh nasty bus driver. :mad: Happy that your experience at CP made up for a rough start to the day!

[CRdisMom]

that does make me wonder how often a bus goes by with the wrong info on it. It seemed to happen to us at POP a lot.

Hmmmmm Lobster.

[serene56]

I am so torn between Breakfast / lunch at Crystal Palace.

Last time we were here--2001 we did a late lunch (2:30) and had the place to ourselves almost.

If I take a late breakfast-- 10:10 I cut prime touring time down.

If I take an early lunch 11:30/noon We can tour fantasy land in a calm manner then take our 2 hour break at Crystal Palace.

Your photos are awesome.

Did youhave to wait long for the characters to wind their way back to you?

[inkedupmomma]

Alan, how old is your son? He is gonna be a hotty.. I'm seeing him and Kayla at a dis-meet already. Just sayin. Jack is a bit too young for your duaghter though :lmao: I ask how old, because he doesn't look old enough to be in the hateful mode yet LOl.. but YES, hearing that from him must have been extra awesome! I think it is always awesome to hear it though! I never get sick of it!

I am so glad you liked CP.. it was one of our least favorites last year. But that may be because we felt rushed through and were seated well past our ADR time. They started switching into lunch pretty soon after we arrived. Meaning the breakfast that was there was kinda oldish. The fruit was incredible though! We are giving it a 2nd shot this year though and have an 8:05 ressie, so hopefully i will be as pleased as you! Breakfast pizza is the bomb!! Thanks again for sharing with us :hug:

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

Long time reader/lurker jumping in to say... you missed the best part of the CP breakfast... puffed french toast on the kids' buffet.

You MUST get it next time. I dream about that french toast. I would string it on thread and wrap my Christmas tree in it. I would send it to people as wedding presents. Best buffet item there. CP breakfast is our first day must-do every trip. We're hitting it twice next month in five days. :goodvibes

[KatMark]

Long time reader/lurker jumping in to say... you missed the best part of the CP breakfast... puffed french toast on the kids' buffet.

You MUST get it next time. I dream about that french toast. I would string it on thread and wrap my Christmas tree in it. I would send it to people as wedding presents. Best buffet item there. CP breakfast is our first day must-do every trip. We're hitting it twice next month in five days. :goodvibes

ABSOLUTELY! I could not agree with you more. That is the first thing I head for when we go to CP ever year--the PUFFED FRENCH TOAST.

[M & E love WDW]

Really is a great t/r. Your family is just so photogenic. Love the pics. Yeah, all of a sudden, firewall is allowing pictures. :cool1: Makes the in-between-customer time go by much faster.

Keep up the good work. Love MK. Since it was the only park in 1971, I still think of it as Disney World - truly my favorite park.

[kmartin555]

YUMMO! That Crystal Palace looks great! :love: Putting a rumbly in my tumbly for sure...;)

[Janet B]

Alan, You make me wish I was eating at CP for my Sept trip. I'v been trying to get CP but nothin' is available (B, L or D). But I have a friend (you know her, fellow DISer KatMark) -- helping me to get a ressie for lunch or dinner - she does have the magic touch! If anyone can get one, Kathy can! (Thanks for trying Kathy:goodvibes)

Okay, so I keep thinking about the lobster and I might have to change a ressie again!! Pay OOP for another meal so I can squeeze Narcoossee's in.

Glad your experience at CP turned a bad start of a day to a great one!

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Narcoossee's looks too good to pass up. We had decided on Cali Grill over it for our Dec trip, but I may have to fit both in! Crystal Palace is another that we are doing for breakfast and after those pix, can't wait! Have you ever done their lunch or dinner? They are both equally as fabulous!

[englishrose47]

Hi Alan !! Last 3 days have been super busy !! Worked 41 hours in 72:scared1: so Dissing had been very limited !!:sad2:Being the Obsessive Disney palnner that I am I have been planning my next Disney meals for 2010 !!! :banana:Guess what 2 are on the list Narcosses and CP Breakfast!! Now I have always done CP for supper !!! I love their dinner rolls !!:lmao:

I have planned about 3 oop! As a solo the Dlx ddpis just toomuch money and food for me.

I am also applying for an escort position with Peoples& Places !! I would get to escort people with developmental disabilities on vacations andmy costs would be paid . No salary but a free vacation. Guess what they go to DISNEY!!!!! Can you imagine I would get to goto Disney for FREEEEE!!!:banana:

[dvc4life]

Thanks so much for the Narcoossee's review. We are dining there in September and can't wait. It looks really yummy.

Sorry about your bus problems. But we encountered the same thing in June. Trying to get to MK for rope drop and thanks to the busses, we missed it. We got to the bus stop over any hour before the park was to open. The rude driver we asked said you can't count how many buses come by going to the parks, it just doesn't work that way. And took off. We waited like you, for 35 minutes before one came! How aggravating. Sorry, babbling.

But I'm glad your day got better with your CP breakfast. Everything looks delicious! And I love all your photos. :thumbsup2

[alan_renfroe]

And this is exactly WHY we drive to all the parks--including the Magic Kingdom. I was able to snag an 8:05 at CP on our Saturday in September and we will definitely be driving to the MK. Can't wait to see your review of CP. :yay:

We started driving to Epcot, DHS, and Animal Kingdom...but we are still on the bus for the Magic Kingdom simply because I hate that MK parking lot - and it seems like it takes forever to actually get to the Magic Kingdom. Also, I love riding that bus to the MK and hearing the music as you pull up!

Overall, however, I would have to say that other than this one isolated incident the bus service was pretty good. I still think it is ridiculous that it was literally an hour and a half to get from CSR to Crystal Palace. Geessh.

I like other types of seafood. It's just most shellfish I don't like (love scallops though!)

Ohhh nasty bus driver. :mad: Happy that your experience at CP made up for a rough start to the day!

I love scallops too! Wil loves, loves, LOVES scallops!

Yeah, what's up with the snooty bus driver early in the morning? Dude, don't be pissed at us because we are on vacation and you are having to work! Anyway, once we got to Crystal Palace everything was great and wonderful again.

that does make me wonder how often a bus goes by with the wrong info on it. It seemed to happen to us at POP a lot.

Hmmmmm Lobster.

That brings up a question - we saw several buses go by with destinations listed that we did not understand. Things like: CR-7, CB11, etc. I have no idea what those mean. Anyone know?

I am so torn between Breakfast / lunch at Crystal Palace.

Last time we were here--2001 we did a late lunch (2:30) and had the place to ourselves almost.

If I take a late breakfast-- 10:10 I cut prime touring time down.

If I take an early lunch 11:30/noon We can tour fantasy land in a calm manner then take our 2 hour break at Crystal Palace.

Your photos are awesome.

Did youhave to wait long for the characters to wind their way back to you?

I can tell from your dilema you must think a lot like I do! 10:10 definitely hurts your touring time...but we really enjoyed breakfast at CP. However, since you enjoyed your lunch last time, and you can get lunch at 2:30, that's a great time for a mid-day break. In your situation, I'd probably go with that option.

Alan, how old is your son? He is gonna be a hotty.. I'm seeing him and Kayla at a dis-meet already. Just sayin. Jack is a bit too young for your duaghter though :lmao: I ask how old, because he doesn't look old enough to be in the hateful mode yet LOl.. but YES, hearing that from him must have been extra awesome! I think it is always awesome to hear it though! I never get sick of it!

I am so glad you liked CP.. it was one of our least favorites last year. But that may be because we felt rushed through and were seated well past our ADR time. They started switching into lunch pretty soon after we arrived. Meaning the breakfast that was there was kinda oldish. The fruit was incredible though! We are giving it a 2nd shot this year though and have an 8:05 ressie, so hopefully i will be as pleased as you! Breakfast pizza is the bomb!! Thanks again for sharing with us :hug:

Wil is 12...and girls are already chasing him! It is so funny...when we were at Disney, there would be teen-age girls trying to talk to him. He's so shy around girls....it's kinda cute! And your Kayla is adorable!

It has just been within the past 6 months that we've really seen Wil evolve into this pre-teen anxt. So, it was extremely wonderful to hear him say that this was his best day ever!

Sorry about your experience at CP. I think all the food was really good because we were there early. The place was packed....and yes, that breakfast pizza is da bomb.

Long time reader/lurker jumping in to say... you missed the best part of the CP breakfast... puffed french toast on the kids' buffet.

You MUST get it next time. I dream about that french toast. I would string it on thread and wrap my Christmas tree in it. I would send it to people as wedding presents. Best buffet item there. CP breakfast is our first day must-do every trip. We're hitting it twice next month in five days. :goodvibes

Hello and welcome! Oh my gosh...I am SOOO upset that I didn't know about this puffed french toast! Well, you can count on us looking for that the next time we eat at CP for breakfast!

Twice in 5 days! Yeah! Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! It was the best breakfast of our entire trip for sure.

ABSOLUTELY! I could not agree with you more. That is the first thing I head for when we go to CP ever year--the PUFFED FRENCH TOAST.

Thanks....thanks so much for rubbing my face into it! Thanks for letting me know what an idiot I am for not trying this wonderful breakfast treat! :laughing: Now, i HAVE to try it, right?

Really is a great t/r. Your family is just so photogenic. Love the pics. Yeah, all of a sudden, firewall is allowing pictures. :cool1: Makes the in-between-customer time go by much faster.

Keep up the good work. Love MK. Since it was the only park in 1971, I still think of it as Disney World - truly my favorite park.

Aww...thanks. Our kids are definitely photogenic. Elizabeth and I: not so much. Glad you are able to see the pics at work now!

YUMMO! That Crystal Palace looks great! :love: Putting a rumbly in my tumbly for sure...;)

My tumbly is getting rumbly thinking about that puffed french toast that apparently I totally missed out on!

[alan_renfroe]

Alan, You make me wish I was eating at CP for my Sept trip. I'v been trying to get CP but nothin' is available (B, L or D). But I have a friend (you know her, fellow DISer KatMark) -- helping me to get a ressie for lunch or dinner - she does have the magic touch! If anyone can get one, Kathy can! (Thanks for trying Kathy:goodvibes)

Okay, so I keep thinking about the lobster and I might have to change a ressie again!! Pay OOP for another meal so I can squeeze Narcoossee's in.

Glad your experience at CP turned a bad start of a day to a great one!

You're right - if anyone can make it happen, Kathy can!! :)

Yeah, I'm glad we didn't stay in a bad mood after that rough start with the bussing system. It just goes to show you: if you keep a positive attitude, you can turn a bad day around.

Narcoossee's looks too good to pass up. We had decided on Cali Grill over it for our Dec trip, but I may have to fit both in! Crystal Palace is another that we are doing for breakfast and after those pix, can't wait! Have you ever done their lunch or dinner? They are both equally as fabulous!

I definitely like California Grill better, but Narcoossee's is nice also.

This was our first time to visit Crystal Palace. I have not tried the lunch or dinner buffets.

Hi Alan !! Last 3 days have been super busy !! Worked 41 hours in 72:scared1: so Dissing had been very limited !!:sad2:Being the Obsessive Disney palnner that I am I have been planning my next Disney meals for 2010 !!! :banana:Guess what 2 are on the list Narcosses and CP Breakfast!! Now I have always done CP for supper !!! I love their dinner rolls !!:lmao:

I have planned about 3 oop! As a solo the Dlx ddpis just toomuch money and food for me.

I am also applying for an escort position with Peoples& Places !! I would get to escort people with developmental disabilities on vacations andmy costs would be paid . No salary but a free vacation. Guess what they go to DISNEY!!!!! Can you imagine I would get to goto Disney for FREEEEE!!!:banana:

Rosie, that's awesome!!! What a perfect job for you! Definitely let us know if you get the position.

Thanks so much for the Narcoossee's review. We are dining there in September and can't wait. It looks really yummy.

Sorry about your bus problems. But we encountered the same thing in June. Trying to get to MK for rope drop and thanks to the busses, we missed it. We got to the bus stop over any hour before the park was to open. The rude driver we asked said you can't count how many buses come by going to the parks, it just doesn't work that way. And took off. We waited like you, for 35 minutes before one came! How aggravating. Sorry, babbling.

But I'm glad your day got better with your CP breakfast. Everything looks delicious! And I love all your photos. :thumbsup2

Babble away....it IS frustrating! When you discipline yourself and your family to get up early to beat the rush, and then you are at the mercy of the buses, it can be very frustrating. I must say, however, that for the most part the buses were pretty good with this one horrible exception.

[alan_renfroe]

Yes, it was rainy. Yes, it was suppose to rain all day long. But we were at the Magic Kingdom!! The place was practically empty! Look at how few people are in Frontierland!

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We first went to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The standby time was listed as 5 minutes, but we literally walked right on.

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So we rode it again. And again. And again. Finally, Wil and I decided to ride Splash Mountain, since there was only a 5 minute standby posted for it also. Juliana and Elizabeth rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad two more times while Wil and I rode Splash Mountain.

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We all met back up at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and rode it one more time! Finally, we decided to make our way towards Fantasyland. We had never done the Haunted Mansion, so we decided to do that.

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We loved it! It was so ghoul...ur...I mean cool! (sorry. bad pun.)

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Even on a day like this, there is ALWAYS a long line for Peter Pan's flight, so we picked up FastPasses for later.

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We then walked right in for Mickey's Philharmagic. This is absolutely one of my favorite attractions in all of Disney World. It is DEFINITELY the best 3-D feature in all of the parks. I love the smells, the songs, the whole experience! What a wonderful attraction!

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Coming up next - more fun at the Magic Kingdom, and lunch at The Wave.

[KatMark]

Thanks....thanks so much for rubbing my face into it! Thanks for letting me know what an idiot I am for not trying this wonderful breakfast treat! :laughing: Now, i HAVE to try it, right?




:lmao::lmao::lmao:
Alan, I can't believe you didn't know about the french toast beforehand. If I didn't know better, I'd say someone has been skimming threads.

:rotfl2:

[alan_renfroe]

Believe it or not, the Renfroes had never done Dumbo. Since we still had about 30 minutes until our FastPass time fo Peter Pan's Flight, we decided to ride Dumbo. To our amazement, we were able to get on within 20 minutes!

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Stroller City:

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Finally, it was time to use our FastPasses for Peter Pan's Flight:

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After Peter Pan, we started heading back towards Main Street USA. We had lunch reservations at The Wave at noon. Of course, we had to get some classic pictures along the way!

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Coming up next - making our way to The Contemporary resort, and lunch at The Wave.

[trennr]

We then walked right in for Mickey's Philharmagic. This is absolutely one of my favorite attractions in all of Disney World. It is DEFINITELY the best 3-D feature in all of the parks. I love the smells, the songs, the whole experience! What a wonderful attraction!


:woohoo: Another vote for Philharmagic!!! :wizard:

I just posted the same thing in my TR. (BTW anybody here is welcome to join...link in Signiture.)

[CRdisMom]

the stroller pic was crazy!

[MA pigletfan]

I cannot stand how much fun it looks like you are all having..even in the rain :) LOVE IT!
I have never been on Dumbo either!!! I think it will def. be a must do for our disneymoon!!
Philharmagic..I completely agree with you..I just love that attraction, it really brings the FEEL of disney right home..i admit i always get a little teary eyed during that one ;)

Great updates !

[NWOhioAngela]

[FONT="Verdana"][SIZE="3"]
Believe it or not, the Renfroes had never done Dumbo.

:scared1: NEVER EVER?! :scared1:

[KatMark]

You'd never ridden Dumbo! Alan, you disappoint me. That is the first ride on Extra Magic Morning Hours that Mark and I hit every trip--it is his favorite all-time movie. But I'll cut you some slack now that you've done it. :rotfl2:

[Mysteria]

Rainy days do make for amazing crowd levels. I love that you guys make the best of it! Looking forward to your reviews of The Wave.

[aprilisis]

I LOVE rainy days at the MK!!! I also love breakfast at the Crystal Palace. I'm envious! I'm loving your reports- it just sounds like you guys had a blast! :)

[MagicShell]

Great updates! Now I kind of hope it rains when we go back. It looks like a lot of fun. Will's statement about your day being the best reminds me of my son saying that it was the greatest day of his life when we were at the MK last year. How can you not want to go back after that? Philharmagic is one my favorite attractions as well, I could watch that show all day. I am glad you rode Dumbo, everyone should at least once.

[Leshaface]

Awesome update! In this case, don't you just LOVE the rain!!!??? You would think that ppl would catch on and learn to STAY at the parks, but disers, this will be our little secret! :thumbsup2

Hopefully your meal at the Wave was fantastic! This is on our 'must eat' list!

[TigerKat]

I'm ashamed to say I've never done Dumbo either.:sad2:

Looking forward to The Wave review, we've scheduled it for lunch in October!

[alan_renfroe]

:woohoo: Another vote for Philharmagic!!! :wizard:

I just posted the same thing in my TR. (BTW anybody here is welcome to join...link in Signiture.)

Cool! I will try to get over and check out your report!

the stroller pic was crazy! I thought that would be a cool picture!

I cannot stand how much fun it looks like you are all having..even in the rain :) LOVE IT!
I have never been on Dumbo either!!! I think it will def. be a must do for our disneymoon!!
Philharmagic..I completely agree with you..I just love that attraction, it really brings the FEEL of disney right home..i admit i always get a little teary eyed during that one ;)

Great updates !

Oh yeah, the rain on this day really didn't bother us at all. We just went about our business of having a great time.

I think I love Mickey's Philharmagic so much because it is like a "greatest hits" of both modern and classic Disney characters. It may The most "Disney" attraction in all of Disney World!

:scared1: NEVER EVER?! :scared1:

Nope. Never ever.

You'd never ridden Dumbo! Alan, you disappoint me. That is the first ride on Extra Magic Morning Hours that Mark and I hit every trip--it is his favorite all-time movie. But I'll cut you some slack now that you've done it. :rotfl2:

Sorry to disappoint...last time we were at Magic Kingdom, we were bound and determined to knock out Tomorrowland first. By the time we got around to Fantasyland, it was like a 2-hour wait! For DUMBO!

Rainy days do make for amazing crowd levels. I love that you guys make the best of it! Looking forward to your reviews of The Wave.

As we would later find out, there is a difference between rainy days and torrential monsoons. Rainy days are not a problem for us! In fact, I'd take a nice light rainy day over a hot crowded day any time!

I LOVE rainy days at the MK!!! I also love breakfast at the Crystal Palace. I'm envious! I'm loving your reports- it just sounds like you guys had a blast! :)

Oh we did! We had a BLAST...and we were just determined to not let anything ruin our good time!

Great updates! Now I kind of hope it rains when we go back. It looks like a lot of fun. Will's statement about your day being the best reminds me of my son saying that it was the greatest day of his life when we were at the MK last year. How can you not want to go back after that? Philharmagic is one my favorite attractions as well, I could watch that show all day. I am glad you rode Dumbo, everyone should at least once.

I know right? It is a thrill when your child voluntarily tells you he had the best day ever! You can't beat that.

Awesome update! In this case, don't you just LOVE the rain!!!??? You would think that ppl would catch on and learn to STAY at the parks, but disers, this will be our little secret! :thumbsup2

Hopefully your meal at the Wave was fantastic! This is on our 'must eat' list!

I sure do. I wouldn't want it to rain every single day....but I think rainy days at Disney are nice!

I'm ashamed to say I've never done Dumbo either.:sad2:

Looking forward to The Wave review, we've scheduled it for lunch in October!

Well, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I think it's more of a sentimental thing with people than anything. I'm glad we now have had the experience.

Lunch review of The Wave is coming up.

[alan_renfroe]

It was now about 11:45, and we had a lunch reservation at The Wave at the Contemporary Resort at noon. So we took the monorail over to the Contemporary.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-078.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-079.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-080.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-082.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-083.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-085.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-086.jpg

(i love monorail pictures!) :love:

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-087.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-088.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-089.jpg

Much to our surprise, the place was practically empty! Where are all the people?

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-090.jpg

Oh well. Since there were so few customers in the restaurant, we had outstanding service! I cannot remember our server's name, but she was a very sweet Asian lady.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-091.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm41/alan_renfroe/05-092.jpg

Coming up next - lunch review at The Wave.

[KatMark]

I'm ashamed to say I've never done Dumbo either.:sad2:



:confused3:scared1:

[NWOhioAngela]

I'm ashamed to say I've never done Dumbo either.:sad2:



What is WRONG with you people! NO DUMBO?????:lmao:

It's so iconic, you MUST ride. :thumbsup2

[ScrappyRN]

I'm glad you liked the breakfast at Crystal Palace. We've done dinner and it was so so. My son requested to eat with Pooh again this trip in Oct. so I booked an 805A breakfast as well. We've never been in the park before opening, so I can't wait for that.:thumbsup2

[inkedupmomma]

Wow, Wil has such a baby face! I thought he was much younger! Go him!

I rather enjoyed the ghoul..I mean cool pun.. made me :lmao: But I am a simpleton at times!

You can tell the MK is your fav park, best pics yet!

Like those Wave menus, very pretty, and super Dis friendly lol

looking forward to the review!

[shannon47142]

Fun morning at the so empty Magic Kingdom!! I'm glad you guys got to try a couple of new attractions:goodvibes

[TigerKat]

:confused3:scared1:

What is WRONG with you people! NO DUMBO?????:lmao:

It's so iconic, you MUST ride. :thumbsup2

:rotfl: OK people, Dumbo will be at the top of my list! :thumbsup2

[Luis Rodriguez]

We LOVED Crystal Palace!! The food was good, plenty of choices and the character interaction was wonderful. It just happens that Eeyore is Valeria's favorite character also. She has a plush toy of him we bought a couple of years back and from time to time she takes it from the shelf to use as a sleep pal...

Also, your photopass family pics are beautiful!! That's the stuff memories are made of.

Regards,

Luis

[KatMark]

:rotfl: OK people, Dumbo will be at the top of my list! :thumbsup2

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

[KChristensen]

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

I wonder why so empty?
Kate

[MeMom]

We have done Crystal Palace twice for dinner, but not yet for breakfast. It is high on our list to do an early breakfast, both for the good breakfast and for those awesome empty street pictures!

Continuing to enjoy your sweet family's pictures, Alan! We had a couple of rainy spots during our summer trip, so the picture of the poncho-covered strollers was a familiar sight! :)

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

You guys must have set a consecutive ride record for BTMRR!!! LOL Too bad for everyone else that ust've thought they would melt in the rain!

[M & E love WDW]

I totally lost track of the count. How many times did you guys get to ride? :confused3

Never done Philharmagic but it is a must do on our plan in just over a month. Can't wait.

[brookelizabeth]

I was several updates behind! It was great to catch up!

CP breakfast just looks DELISH. I am so excited to eat there! I LOVE breakfast, plus when it's gooooood, plus characters=fun and a great way to start the MK day! I'm sorry to hear about the poor bus service there though...that is the first time I have ever read about poor bus service at CSR though. Was the rest of the time pretty good?

It must have been so much fun to ride BTMRR that many times! I can't believe how empty MK is even at that late of an hour in the day.

We did a lunch at The Wave and it was also empty - there were maybe four tables being used. We also were served by a very sweet Asian woman, her name was something like Xeu - wonder if it was the same gal? I hope you enjoyed it-we really liked our meal there!

[podsnel]

We always got to CP for lunch when we get to WDW- it's our first must do every time with the kids. I think their lunch buffet is just great!! Something for everyone. I have an ADR for this November 4th at 12:55 pm.:goodvibes

Narcoosees looked delicious- I think we'll be there in May (DISmoms). Do you know what the weight of your lobsters was? I'm making lobster next weekend- it's part of the Seafood Fest we have every year. I like to grill them with a chili lime butter. Mmmmmmm.....:thumbsup2

Can't wait to hear about the Wave- it just got a great review on the Podcast, interested to hear what you all thought!

[englishrose47]

We LOVED Crystal Palace!! The food was good, plenty of choices and the character interaction was wonderful. It just happens that Eeyore is Valeria's favorite character also. She has a plush toy of him we bought a couple of years back and from time to time she takes it from the shelf to use as a sleep pal...

Also, your photopass family pics are beautiful!! That's the stuff memories are made of.

Regards,

Luis

Hi Luis, Good to hear from you!!! Have you heard about the HUGE Dis Meet being planned for 2012 ?? Are you interested ???

[Luis Rodriguez]

Hi Luis, Good to hear from you!!! Have you heard about the HUGE Dis Meet being planned for 2012 ?? Are you interested ???


Hi Rose!!

Big SIGH....

Interested? Yes, of course, but, alas, right now I'm not very sure about when we will be able to do our next trip to WDW. We are just beginning the process of trying to move to a new flat in a better part of the city, which means curtailing a lot of expenses, finding (and buying!!) a good new place to live, etc. and, sadly, real state is REALLY expensive in Venezuela...

But, Who knows? The future is always open, so I'll keep an open mind about it (or at least dream about it :) ).

Regards,

Luis

[dvc4life]

What a wonderful MK report. Even though it was raining, what a great morning for the rides. How lucky to be able to ride BTM so many times in a row with little to no wait!

Can't wait for the Wave review! Have a great day. :flower3:

[alan_renfroe]

:confused3:scared1:

What is WRONG with you people! NO DUMBO?????:lmao:

It's so iconic, you MUST ride. :thumbsup2

:rotfl: OK people, Dumbo will be at the top of my list! :thumbsup2

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

Wow! An outpouring of love shown for the classic Dumbo ride! Geeesh, Kathy, get with the program! :rotfl2:

Nah, seriously, we probably would have passed it but we just happened to be right there with a 20 minute wait and we had 30 minutes until our FastPasses for Peter Pan, so we went for it! There definitely is something magical about riding Dumbo at the Magic Kingdom - makes you feel like a kid!