Here's what a little PIXIE DUST can do ....... a dining review+pics COMPLETED!!!!!

[dizneeat]

Well, actually a bit more than "a little" pixie dust! But let's start at the beginning.

Here's who's playing:
Tom, DB and travelling partner. LOVES everything and anything DISNEY! Works hard all year round so we can go on several Disney trips.

Me, Karin, planner of our trips to Disney and LOVER of everything and anything Disney as well!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/dpp.jpg

We were first sprinkled with Pixie dust in the summer of 2008, when we were able to book our first Disney cruise for 2009 AND got the Free Dining bounceback deal for 2009 at POR.
Needless to say our stay at WDW got changed a few times.

Next Pixie dust sprinkling happened when Disney offered the 4/3 deal and we were able to take advantage of it for a week in February.
Our Pirate adventure can be found here - Pirates on the Dining Plan (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2084702).

Actually more Pixie dust was sprinkled on our vacation when we were offered an incredible deal from the British Disney Travel company - for about 200$ more than our POR (+FD) reservation we were able to stay at a 1 bedroom villa at OKW AND got the FD.

Here is our itinerary!

Day 1 - airplane food (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33804318&postcount=17), not so yummy, after arriving in Miami Beach we had dinner at Bubba Gump (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33804910&postcount=18)

Day 2 - Breakfast at the hotel buffet (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33805856&postcount=19) (Best Western Atlantic Beach), lunch at Bubba Gump (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33813278&postcount=26) (yip, we love it there) dinner - Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33813512&postcount=27)

Day 3 - Breakfast at the hotel buffet, drive to Key West (the real thing) dinner at the Outback Steakhouse (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33814759&postcount=36)

Day 4 - Breakfast at the Southernmost Cafe on the Beach (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33820053&postcount=43), Key Limeade and Pina Colada Slushie (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33825100&postcount=48), dinner at Turtle Kraals (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33825402&postcount=49), snacking at the Key Lime Pie Factory (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33836063&postcount=53)

Day 5 - Breakfast at Sarabeth's (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33843948&postcount=60), Starbuck's Coffee (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33878373&postcount=68), dinner at the Southernmost Cafe at the Beach (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33878756&postcount=70)

Day 6 - Breakfast at Turtle Kraals (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33890021&postcount=78), dinner at Red Lobster (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33891462&postcount=79)

Day 7 - Breakfast at hotel buffet, lunch at Wolfgang Puck's Express (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33896982&postcount=83), Ghirardelli (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33906518&postcount=86), dinner at Kona Cafe (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33906755&postcount=91)

Day 8 - Lunch at the Cantina de San Angel (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33912191&postcount=97) and Sunshine Seasons (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33923877&postcount=102), Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33924063&postcount=103), dinner at The Wave (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33924569&postcount=104)

Day 9 - Breakfast at Wolfgang Puck's Express (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33949637&postcount=113), lunch at Beach Blanket (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33962337&postcount=114) on board the Disney Wonder, dinner at Triton's (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33974496&postcount=119)

Day 10 - Breakfast at Parrot Cay (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33980878&postcount=120), lunch at Pluto's Dog House, dinner at Palo (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33994382&postcount=121)

Day 11 - Room Service Breakfast (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34007859&postcount=126), lunch at Serenity Bay Barbeque (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34056191&postcount=136),pirate dinner at Animator's Palate Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34066366&postcount=142)Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34066430&postcount=143)

Day 12 - Brunch at Palo (Part 1, savory offerings (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34074212&postcount=150)) (Part 2, rest of savory items and sweet offerings (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34088576&postcount=159)), snack at Goofy's Galley and Martini Tasting (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34134705&postcount=179), dinner at Palo Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34233633&postcount=210) Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34233800&postcount=212)

Day 13 - Breakfast at Beach Blanket buffet, late lunch at Bubba Gump (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34245560&postcount=224), Wishes Dessert Party (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34254045&postcount=230)

Day 14 - Breakfast at Island Dining Room (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34269186&postcount=237), snack at Thunder Falls Terrasse (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34282321&postcount=245)(UO-IOA), snack in hotel room, Wishes Dessert Party (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34282768&postcount=249)

Day 15 - Lunch at Olive Garden (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34296704&postcount=263), dinner Tony Roma (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34319762&postcount=275), Krispy Kreme (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34322552&postcount=280)

Day 16 - Lunch at International Food and Film Festival (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34337687&postcount=289)(UO), Starbuck's Coffee (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34341728&postcount=291), snack dinner in room

Day 17 - Lunch at Wolfgang Puck's Express (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34356007&postcount=301), dinner at California Grill (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34372119&postcount=312)

Day 18 - Lunch at Artist's Palette (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34386831&postcount=315)(SSP), dinner at Grand Floridian Cafe (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34411348&postcount=324)

Day 19 - Lunch at Cantina de San Angel (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34427712&postcount=340) and Kringla Bakeri og Cafe (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34433499&postcount=346), dinner at Sanaa (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34458085&postcount=354)

Day 20 - Lunch at Wolfgang Puck's Express (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34478940&postcount=363), Ghirardelli (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34478996&postcount=364), dinner at Kouzzina (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34494816&postcount=372) by Cat Cora

Day 21 - Breakfast at Boma (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34572709&postcount=415), Lunch at The Wave (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34636440&postcount=438), Hallowishes Dessert Party (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34646671&postcount=443)

Day 22 - Breakfast at Wolfgang Puck's Express (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34680846&postcount=453), lunch at Cookes of Dublin (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34759998&postcount=461)and dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34767198&postcount=467)and a birthday cake from the Boardwalk Bakery (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34779255&postcount=468)

Day 23 - Lunch at Lotos Blossom Cafe (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34792112&postcount=475), drinks at the French Pavillion (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34813744&postcount=480), dinner at Ohana (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34840203&postcount=494)

Day 24 - Breakfast in villa, dinner at Tutto Italia (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34856528&postcount=498)

Day 25 - Lunch at Sci-Fi (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34927923&postcount=512), dinner at Le Cellier (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34936456&postcount=521)

Day 26 - Lunch at Tangerine Cafe (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34955487&postcount=530) and Kringla Bakeri og Cafe (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34969258&postcount=541), take away dinner from Wolfgang Puck's Express (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34988306&postcount=550)

Day 27 - Lunch at Flame Tree Barbeque (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34988355&postcount=552), Picnic in the Park (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35027107&postcount=558), dinner at California Grill (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35045686&postcount=564)

Day 28 - Lunch at Wolfgang Puck's Express (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35066827&postcount=578), dinner at Tony's Town Square (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35074228&postcount=586)

Day 29 - Lunch at Casey's Corner (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35117807&postcount=605) and Columbia Harbour House (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35118096&postcount=608), a drink from the Enchanted Grove (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35119252&postcount=609) and dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Express (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35131520&postcount=623), more not so yummy airplane food (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35132239&postcount=627)

Day 30 - airplane breakfast and back home again.

So, anyone hungry for a review?

[GoofySon'sMom]

Oh my gosh, I am so envious -- 30 days! I'm in for sure! )And wouldn't mind seeing a review of Bubba Gumps and all the Key West restaurants!)

[mimi'sgirl]

Loved your last report. looking forward to this one. Have a great time on your cruise. We cruised last year at the beginning of Nov. Ahh Castaway Cay! Due to an itinerary change we were able to go there twice. Enjoy!

[TigerKat]

Signing on, can't wait!

[Symans3honeybees]

I am so following you with your unbelievable 30 days' of pure bliss. :woohoo:

[DAD21]

Can't wait.23 days @ WDW wow.

[John's Mom]

Loved your previous reviews. I am so ready for this report and so very jealous. ;)

[disney_princess_85]

Sounds great, I'm in!

[MickeyNicki]

Yay Karin! You started! I am so excited for this review!

[natalielongstaff]

oooh ive a feelin this is gonna be good :cool1:

[Pooh&OurHunny]

joining in and can't wait...popcorn::

[janloz]

i'm in! :)

[KatMark]

Karin, I'm here. Bring on the food! popcorn::

[MyTalula]

30 days!!! WOW I can't wait for the reviews!!:cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

[dizneeat]

:goodvibesWelcome everyone!!!!!!!!:goodvibes

Oh my gosh, I am so envious -- 30 days! I'm in for sure! )And wouldn't mind seeing a review of Bubba Gumps and all the Key West restaurants!)

I am glad you are here!!! And THANK YOU for asking for the reviews for the other restaurants - I wasn't sure if anyone wanted to see photos or read about other restaurants, but for us experiencing new food and going back to old favourites is part of the vacation fun! I got everything uploaded and will post some of our pre disney food adventures right away.

Loved your last report. looking forward to this one. Have a great time on your cruise. We cruised last year at the beginning of Nov. Ahh Castaway Cay! Due to an itinerary change we were able to go there twice. Enjoy!

Thank you for joining in! We loved our first cruise and are actually booked again for next summer - oops - gave that away :lmao:
I guess you loved Castaway Cay as much as we did! We are booked on a back to back cruise, so we can go to Castaway Cay twice - it's heaven, Disney heaven!!!

Signing on, can't wait!

Hey, good to see you here! First reviews (pre disney) coming up in a few more minutes.

I am so following you with your unbelievable 30 days' of pure bliss. :woohoo:

I hope you won't be disappointed ;)! I just checked HOW many food photos I took and there are A LOT!!

Can't wait.23 days @ WDW wow.

I am glad you are here. I'll rush through the pre disney part, so we get to see some Disney nosh soon!

Loved your previous reviews. I am so ready for this report and so very jealous. ;)

I am glad you enjoyed my previous reviews. I am finally ready to post - so let's go! :)

[dizneeat]

Sounds great, I'm in!

I am glad you are here! I'll try my best not to disappoint you!

Yay Karin! You started! I am so excited for this review!

Hey girlie! How are you doing today! Did you make it to Kouzzina?
I am honoured you joined the party!! :worship:

oooh ive a feelin this is gonna be good :cool1:

Hi! Glad you joined us too!

joining in and can't wait...popcorn::

First servings coming right up!

i'm in! :)

It's good to have you here!

Karin, I'm here. Bring on the food! popcorn::

I am SO happy to see you here! :yay: Loads of food photos uploaded and coming up in a few more minutes!

30 days!!! WOW I can't wait for the reviews!!:cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

Great to have you here! Reviews starting right now!!

[dizneeat]

Caution! I am Austrian - English is NOT my first language, so there WILL be mistakes! Please forgive me!!!!!!!!!!!!! :flower3:

:yay:Okay, now let's go!!!:yay:

Since there was a request for our pre-Disney food adventures I am going to review them, but I'll just try to make it short, so we VERY soon can move on to some real Disney food!

Day 1, Aug 15

Well, let me start with the most boring food of them all - airplane food!

Our flight from Linz to Frankfurt takes about 55 minutes and this is what they fed us - "Americans" :rotfl: how appropriate! A rather soft cookie with hard icing.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2048.jpg

After a 2 hour layover we got on our plane to Miami! Now, if anyone ever decides to travel on German carrier Lufthansa - this is what they might feed you!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2050.jpg

Pretzel Mix - Austrian, therefore very good! ;)

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2052.jpg

Lunch tray

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2053.jpg

Salad and lemon cream dessert, the salad was unbelieveably fresh for airplane food and the dessert was very sweet with a slight lemony taste - Tom didn't even try it and I did not finish it! :scared1:

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2054.jpg

Salad dressing, butter and cheese - regular stuff

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2056.jpg

We both had the same main dish - sweet and sour chicken with white rice. Actually we were pleasantly surprised. The chicken war tender and the sauce really well seasoned. Well done for airplane food!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2058.jpg

Closeup of the lemon cream dessert

After sleeping for a few hours (with the help of a Walgreen's sleeping aid :rotfl:) this is what we were woken for:

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2061.jpg

Another lunch tray (6 hour time difference!)

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2062.jpg

The pasta dish did not impress much - slightly overcooked and dry at the edges pasta, but the sauce was well seasoned and nice

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2064.jpg

Dinner roll - unfortunately served cold and dry, came with butter and some hard and dry cheese

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2063.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2065.jpg

Dessert was fruit yoghurt - regular stuff!

[dizneeat]

Still Day 1, Aug 15

Bubba Gump at Bayside Marketplace

Once we landed we made our way through immigration, luggage retrieval and customs and picked up our rental car. Once assigned a car we walked outside and were greated by

a Florida DOWNPOUR!! Welcome to sunny Florida!! :rotfl:

We made it to the hotel, dropped the luggage in the room and off we went to START OFF our vacation with a dinner at Bubba Gump at Bayside Marketplace. They actually offer mainly the same food at all their locations, but since there is NOTHING like it here in Austria, we just LOVE to eat there.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2071.jpg

My all time favourite drink at Bubba Gump - Strawberry Speckled Lemonade - tart lemonade with the sweetness of strawberries in syrup - YUM!
Oh, Tom had a Diet Coke! :thumbsup2

We were hungry so we decided to share a starter. One we had not tried before.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2073.jpg

Dynamite Shrimp - Succulent popcorn shrimp with a sweet glaze and a special blend of Thai spices. The shrimp were juicy and the pop corn coating (guess the coating was popped amaranth) just gave it that right amount of crunch. It came with a coating of sweet glaze that had quite a kick to it. You started chewing and it would suddenly hit you - hot, but not too hot. The sauce even mixed so well with the chopped cabbage the shrimp sat on. We did not leave one single crumb of this heavenly starter.

For main courses we both decided on old favourites.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2074.jpg

Tom had the Bourbon Street Mahi Mahi. Charbroiled Cajun spiced Mahi Mahi with Bourbon Sauce and grilled Shrimp, served over Mashed Potato. Needless to say I tried a bite and it was wonderful. Moist, tender fish that blended well with the sauce and tasty grilled shrimp. I didn't taste the mash, but Tom was in for a clean plate sticker, so it must have been good!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2076.jpg

This is my all time favourite, which you might see once or twice again :lmao: Dumb Luck Coconut Shrimp served with Cajun Marmalade and Fries. The shrimp are so big and succulent and they go so well with the slightly sweet taste of the coconut coating. It is served with sweet Cajun Marmelade, fries and coleslaw, which was not as sweet as I remembered it from last year. I finished off my plate as well - yip I was really hungry!

After our dinner we went to Publix and stocked up on essentials - drinks, Oreo cookies, Doritos and salsa - the taste of snacks in America ;) before we went back to the hotel for a very early night.

[dizneeat]

Day 2, Aug 16

Breakfast at the hotel buffet (BW Atlantic Beach Resort)

The hotel restaurant offers a buffet breakfast - nothing to compare to WDW, but it fills your stomach.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2116.jpg

My plate, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and breakfast potatoes. The eggs lacked salt, the sausage was ...... well, sausage, the bacon was crisp and the potatoes really good!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2117.jpg

Tom's plate - with exactly the same items, he just had a lot of ketchup to go with it.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2119.jpg

What looks like toast actually is French Toast. A bit on the dry side, but drenched in syrup it was quite nice.

Next up - more Bubba Gump

[TigerKat]

Great start Karin! WOW that Mahi Mahi at Bubba Gump's looks incredible!

[dizneeat]

Great start Karin! WOW that Mahi Mahi at Bubba Gump's looks incredible!

Thank you! That Mahi Mahi tasted as incredible as it looked - really finger licking good! :thumbsup2

[KatMark]

Awesome start. I'm getting hungry.

[dizneeat]

Awesome start. I'm getting hungry.

Oh, you better wait for the really GOOD stuff ;):rotfl:! I just uploaded some of our cruise photos - Palo dinners and Palo brunch buffet! Made me SO hungry too and I just had dinner! :lmao:

[Tarheel Tink]

I could almost taste your shrimp from Bubba Gumps! Subscribing with glee; I followed your last trip report and gained weight from it!:rotfl:

[dizneeat]

I could almost taste your shrimp from Bubba Gumps! Subscribing with glee; I followed your last trip report and gained weight from it!:rotfl:

I am glad you are here! :goodvibes Hope you'll enjoy this report as much as my last one! Lots of yummy food to review and A LOT of photos to come!

[dizneeat]

Still day 2, Aug 16

Lunch at Bubba Gump (yip, ate there again already! :lmao:)

We spent the morning taking a sightseeing tour in Miami. There was a 1 1/2 hour lunch break at the Bayside Marketplace before the boat tour in the afternoon, so since we had enjoyed dinner the day before so much we went to have lunch at Bubba Gump.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2120.jpg

Remember this? Yes, I had another one of their Strawberry Speckled Lemonades. It is just SO good!

We skipped the starters this time and went straight for the main courses!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2121.jpg

I love their shrimp, so I got Mama Blue's Southern Charmed Fried Shrimp with hot and crispy Fries Tartar Sauce and Cocktail Sauce for dippin' and some coleslaw. How can you not like crispy fried, tender and juicy shrimp dipped in sauces? It was yummy. But there were so many shrimp I was not able to finish it! :sad2:

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2122.jpg

Tom had a feast too! He ordered Shrimper's Heaven! Love Shrimp? This one's for you! Coconut Shrimp, Chilly Shrimp, Fried Shrimp, Tempura Shrimp, Fries, and of course Dippin' Sauces and coleslaw! Unbelieveably good but a HUGE portion! I think he left one or two shrimp too!

We skipped dessert and got in line for our sightseeing tour by boat.

Next up - Krispy Kreme (as if you would not know what it looks like :rotfl:)

[dizneeat]

Still day 2, Aug 16

After our boat tour we went back to the hotel to relax for a while, then we decided to do some shopping and were looking for a mall. We found one, but it was quite a way away. After our shopping was done, we discussed what we would have for dinner while we were driving back. It was nearly dark by now and suddenly a lit sign hit my eye! HOT NOW!! Oh my god, we had just passed a Krispy Kreme location!!
We made a u-turn at the next intersection and went back, and dinner plans were final.
We bought a dozen doughnuts and a large diet coke to share and sat there in the shop watching the doughnuts run off the production belt and munching our still hot, ooey, gooey, soft and yummy, sweet, little, round delights!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2128.jpg

Once back at the hotel we just had an early night (those 6 hours time difference were still bugging me) and we had a long drive to Key West ahead of us as well.

Next up - dinner at Outback Steakhouse in Key West

[Tarheel Tink]

:tongue: Krispy Kreme! Fresh and hot!! :worship:

[dizneeat]

:tongue: Krispy Kreme! Fresh and hot!! :worship:

:goodvibes Now that's my kind of girl!! :lmao:

[KatMark]

Oh....my. Krispy Kreme! They closed all the ones by us and I miss them so much. I could just grab one off the screen and have myself a piece of heaven. :worship:

[maxiesmom]

It all looks good so far.:thumbsup2 Well, except for the lemon thingy you got on the airplane. Can't wait to see more!

[GovieMom]

Your pictures are excellent; I'm loving your report so far. Thanks for taking the time to post!

[dizneeat]

Oh....my. Krispy Kreme! They closed all the ones by us and I miss them so much. I could just grab one off the screen and have myself a piece of heaven. :worship:

They closed them?? :sad2: Krispy Kreme is :love: :rotfl2:

It all looks good so far.:thumbsup2 Well, except for the lemon thingy you got on the airplane. Can't wait to see more!

More coming up right now! :goodvibes

[dizneeat]

Your pictures are excellent; I'm loving your report so far. Thanks for taking the time to post!

I am glad you joined us! :goodvibes More reviews coming right up!

[KatMark]

They closed them?? :sad2: Krispy Kreme is :love: :rotfl2:





Yes, they closed them all (there may be one in the South Suburbs). But they closed the one at the train station that I got off at and would pick up on my way to the office. :sad2: I was very depressed to say the least. Now my choice is Dunkin Donuts -- YUK!

[dizneeat]

Day 3, Aug 17

Dinner at Outback Steakhouse

We had breakfast at the hotel restaurant buffet again and since our plates looked exactly the same as the day before we did not take any photos.

We left the hotel early and started our drive towards Key West. Once you leave the mainland the scenery is just amazing!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2170.jpg

There were many stops along the way to take in the beauty of the drive there. It was close to 3pm when we finally arrived at Key West. I had decided last minute to change hotels and we were SO glad we did!

I know this is about dining, but I just have to share a few photos of the hotel - it was just amazing!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2409.jpg

The balcony runs around the room.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2370.jpg

We were on the 3rd floor and it is the building on the right.

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View from the room by day

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and at night!

Okay, back to the food!

Once we had settled in we went to Publix to stock up on a few more groceries (let's say it out loud, Coke, beer and wine :rotfl2:) and decided to try the Outback Steakhouse, which was right next door, for dinner.
I had done my homework and researched which restaurants would be nice there and the Outback Steakhouse had a tempting online menu.

We were seated right away and handed a menu. It was rather dark and it took me a while to read it, so while I was still reading the waiter took our drinks order, two diet cokes.

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Together with the Cokes he brought out the bread and butter. The bread was really soft and warm. It tasted so different to the usual bread and we were hungry, so we both really dug in. There was a whole loaf and as you can see we had already attacked the bread when I remembered to take the photo.

On to our starter:

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We ordered a Bloomin’ Onion. A true Outback original. Their special onion is hand-carved by a dedicated bloomologist, cooked until golden and ready to dip into their spicy signature bloom sauce.
It actually cannot be compared to onion rings. The whole onion is coated in batter and fried! The bottom was a bit greasy but the the "petals" were crisp and filled with sweet juicy onion.
The photo does not do it justice - this thing is HUGE!!! I mean 4 people can easily snack on this. We did not even finish half of it!

Once he had brought out the onion the waiter took our main course orders.

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Tom ordered the Outback Special. Their signature 9 oz. sirloin, seasoned with bold spices and seared just right and topped with their Lobster & Mushroom Topping. It came with two sides and Tom decided on Fries and veggies.
Let me start with the steak and topping - I had a bite and this was GOOD!! I mean really tasty and melt in your mouth, cooked to order steak. The fries were your regular fries, but there were fresh veggies, which actually still had a crunch to it. He cleaned his plate!!

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I had the Victoria’s Filet, the most tender and juicy thick cut filet, cooked to order, which comes with two sides as well. I chose a baked potato with butter and sour cream and the veggies as well. The steak was seasoned very well and cooked to perfection. You could have cut it with a fork tender! The baked potato was ....... well, a baked potato! Actually I would have gotten a clean plate sticker there as well. It was so good!

We were too stuffed to have dessert and went back to the resort to enjoy some time out on our balcony overlooking the ocean.
Needless to say you need a little drink while sitting out on the balcony - mine was extra special!

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We had picked up a bottle of Silverado Sauvignon Blanc. I just LOVE this TRUE Disney wine being produced by Diane Disney's family. We visited the winery in 2006 and ever since if we can get hold of this wonderful wine we get a bottle. (It was NOT the only bottle of Silverado we had)

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Tom had a little "liquid" to celebrate this great hotelroom with too!

Coming up next - breakfast at the Southernmost Cafe at the beach.

[dizneeat]

Yes, they closed them all (there may be one in the South Suburbs). But they closed the one at the train station that I got off at and would pick up on my way to the office. :sad2: I was very depressed to say the least. Now my choice is Dunkin Donuts -- YUK!

That is such a shame! You are right .. once you had a Krispy Kreme :worship: , Dunkin just can't compare with it!

[cdtommie]

Great reviews, coming from Austria Tom is a brave man to drink a Miller Genuine Draft :rotfl2:...oh to get back to Salzburg and return to the Augustiner Brau.

[slk537]

I am SO in!!! I love your reviews - keep it coming! :cool1:

[Quacktatty]

I just had the very same dinner as you from Outback tonight!! Looking forward to more.

[Jaimie1911]

Thanks so much for the Key West reviews. I will be there next week on my honeymoon and we are also staying at Southernmost on the Beach. Now I'm even more excited!!! :yay:

[dizneeat]

Great reviews, coming from Austria Tom is a brave man to drink a Miller Genuine Draft :rotfl2:...oh to get back to Salzburg and return to the Augustiner Brau.

You are so right about the Miller Genuine Draft :lmao: He called it his beer flavoured water!

I am SO in!!! I love your reviews - keep it coming! :cool1:

I am glad you found us! More reviews coming right up!

I just had the very same dinner as you from Outback tonight!! Looking forward to more.

Hope you liked your dinner as much as we did! :goodvibes More reviews coming up right now!

Thanks so much for the Key West reviews. I will be there next week on my honeymoon and we are also staying at Southernmost on the Beach. Now I'm even more excited!!! :yay:

Congratulations on getting married!! :flower3:

You are so going to love the Southernmost on the Beach!! We could not get an oceanfront room in the first place, so we were actually booked at the Reach Resort. Then, a few weeks before our vacation the oceanfront room opened up and we just cancelled the Reach Resort and booked Southernmost! We were SO GLAD we did!
The room was brand new and so spacious! The service is wonderful and the view is incredible! The staff is SO friendly!!!!!!
As for food - the Southernmost Cafe on the beach is just wonderful. It's open on three sides and the view of the ocean is fantastic and so is the food :thumbsup2!
Review of our Southernmost Cafe breakfast is coming up right now!

[dizneeat]

Day 4, Aug 18

Breakfast at the Southernmost Cafe on the Beach

Today was our day to explore Key West, so we needed a good breakfast to get us through some of the day!

So we just just went past the pool and down to the beach to the Southernmost Cafe on the Beach.

Tom had some coffee and some orange juice and I ordered some hot tea and orange juice as well.

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Tom ordered the Crab and Shrimp Omelet, lots of succulent claw meat & juicy grilled shrimp in a fluffy three-egg omelet with Hollandaise sauce, house potatoes and buttered toast. It was as good as it sounds! :goodvibes Very light and fluffy omelet filled with A LOT of claw meat and shrimp. The potatoes were well flavoured and toast is just what it is buttered toast.

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I went for The One, two scrambled eggs, bacon, house potatoes, buttered toast & jelly. Very fluffy and creamy eggs, crispy bacon and yummy potatoes. I had one piece of toast with my eggs and bacon and the other one with grape jelly. Yum!

After that breakfast we were ready to conquer Key West!

[lindsey clare]

awesome reviews! i have just discovered the dining reviews area of the boards and i am loving it :lovestruc

[tink6137130]

Love your review! Thanks for sharing :)

[PrincessTrisha]

I've enjoyed your previous reviews and am so happy to see the next one started (can you make it last until October 22nd when I leave for Disney - then I have a treat everyday until we leave :lmao:).

While I think your taste in food is generally awesome (Bubba Gump shrimp, WP Express, etc) I just have never got the whole "Krispy Kreme" thing :confused3 When they were at the height of their popularity, we drove to Buffalo and tried them (when they were hot and fresh). Going down they tasted great but oh, what a gut ache afterwards! I thought the doughnut was going to break out of my stomach like in the Alien movies! I don't know if it's cause we're wussy Canadians and just aren't used to that much fat and sugar in our doughnuts or what.

Course, my parents used to own a bakery and my dad used to hand fry his own donuts so I guess I was spoiled growing up and just can't get the same thrill out of a mass produced bakery product.:hippie:

[dizneeat]

awesome reviews! i have just discovered the dining reviews area of the boards and i am loving it :lovestruc

I am happy you are here and enjoying the reviews! :flower3:

Love your review! Thanks for sharing :)

Thank you so much for your kind words! I am glad I found some readers! :goodvibes

I've enjoyed your previous reviews and am so happy to see the next one started (can you make it last until October 22nd when I leave for Disney - then I have a treat everyday until we leave :lmao:).

Glad you joined us! I am sure I can make it last until Oct 22nd, we ate A LOT during that vacation!

[dizneeat]

Still day 4, Aug 18

Refreshing drinks

Our tour made a break at Mallory Square and after a little exploring on our own we decided to get a drink before hopping on the trolley again.

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Pina Colada Slushie - Tom had that and we were both not all that impressed with it. Very sweet.

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I had another Keylimeade, very tart on first sip, but it grows on you and tastes sweeter the more you drink. Does that make sense :lmao:?

Next up - dinner at Turtle Kraal

[dizneeat]

Still day 4, Aug 18

Dinner at Turtle Kraals

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Towards the end of our sightseeing tour it had started to rain and we had gone back to the resort. Once it cleared up again we decided to have an early dinner instead of doing the last two stops of the tour.
As with the Outback Steakhouse I had done some internet research and the menu at Turtle Kraals and its reviews sounded promising. So we hopped in the car and went to Key West harbour. We entered, looked around and there was the waitress, so we decided to stay and were seated right away. We both ordered Diet Cokes and started to study the menu.

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The Lobster Rolls with sweet chili sauce we ordered as a starter was recommended by the waitress. The Rolls were full of lobster in a crispy fried wrapping and went VERY well with the sweet chili sauce.

Next came the main courses

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Tom ordered the BBQ Pork Platter, slowly wood-smoked until mouth watering tender, then chopped and stacked high. All BBQ dishes come with Fries, coleslaw and cornbread and baked beans. This was such a huge portion and it was as mouth watering tender and tasty as the menu promised. So good!!

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They served an assortment of sauces to go with the meats!

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I thought I should try the BBQ Beef Brisket Platter, expertly seasoned and slowly wood smoked for 14 hours or until it absolutely melts in your mouth. It came with the same sides as Tom's and it was an equally huge serving! Let me be honest - that brisket was devine! So well seasoned and you could cut through it with your fork. Oh my heaven on earth.

Since the platters were so huge we skipped dessert and went back to the resort for a little rest.

Next up - Key Lime Pie factory for more treats.

[Ciciwoowoo]

Oh goodness, everything looks good!

We are talking about going to Key West for our honeymoon too. It looks lovely!

[onelilspark]

I really want to go to Key West, I'm living vicariously, ok?

[dizneeat]

Oh goodness, everything looks good!

We are talking about going to Key West for our honeymoon too. It looks lovely!

Key West is wonderful!! And the food we had was just fantastic! It was a very relaxing start ot our vacation.

I really want to go to Key West, I'm living vicariously, ok?

:goodvibes Key West rocks!! Only downside - too far from WDW :lmao:

[dizneeat]

......... and still day 4, Aug 18

Key Lime Pie Factory

After we had spent some time on our balcony again we set out for another trip to Mallory Square. I wanted to have a look at some T-shirts and maybe :rotfl: have another sweet snack.

After some windowshopping we made it to the Key Lime Pie Factory. Tom still didn't want anything but a drink, but I had my heart set on a Key West Original!

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A Key Lime Pie on a stick! It's a piece of frozen Key Lime Pie dipped into chocolate. It comes on a little plastic stick so you can eat it like popsicle. I had one last year and was so looking forward to having one again. There is the tart Key Lime filling and the crisp crust all coming to life in your mouth after you "crack" that chocolate shell. It's just wonderful, but very messy to eat.

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Tom had a Key Lime Lemonade, which was quite nice and cold, but a bit on the sweet side.

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We picked up a piece of Key Lime Pie as well, which we took home with us and I snacked on it over the next two days. It was a very nice treat and the meringue was soft and gooey inside and crisp outside. It was also very sweet, but when eaten together with the tart cake it was really nice.

Next up - Breakfast at Sarabeth's

[KatMark]

......... and still day 4, Aug 18

Key Lime Pie Factory

After we had spent some time on our balcony again we set out for another trip to Mallory Square. I wanted to have a look at some T-shirts and maybe :rotfl: have another sweet snack.

After some windowshopping we made it to the Key Lime Pie Factory. Tom still didn't want anything but a drink, but I had my heart set on a Key West Original!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2251.jpg

A Key Lime Pie on a stick! It's a piece of frozen Key Lime Pie dipped into chocolate. It comes on a little plastic stick so you can eat it like popsicle. I had one last year and was so looking forward to having one again. There is the tart Key Lime filling and the crisp crust all coming to life in your mouth after you "crack" that chocolate shell. It's just wonderful, but very messy to eat.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2252.jpg

Tom had a Key Lime Lemonade, which was quite nice and cold, but a bit on the sweet side.

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We picked up a piece of Key Lime Pie as well, which we took home with us and I snacked on it over the next two days. It was a very nice treat and the meringue was soft and gooey inside and crisp outside. It was also very sweet, but when eaten together with the tart cake it was really nice.

Next up - Breakfast at Sarabeth's

Oh, oh! I'm going to be in BIG trouble with Mark. A friend here on the DIS suggested if we wanted that we take the Key West Express; we got lazy in Marco Island and never did it. If Mark finds out about the KEY LIME PIE FACTORY he is goinjg to be very upset with me that we didn't go. So just between us...I'm not going to show him this portion of your reviews. ;)

[Tarheel Tink]

The Blonde Giraffe! OMG! I saw that reviewed 2 different times on the Food Channel and then sent some friends to try it out when they were in Key West. They couldn't stop going back- the very unique crust did it for them. They brought me back some incredible Key Lime cookies that seemed to have white chocolate in them- addictive!
Thanks so much for a photo of the illusive key lime bar. :goodvibes

[disneyfav4ever]

30 days, I am so jealous.

[Jaimie1911]

Congratulations on getting married!! :flower3:

You are so going to love the Southernmost on the Beach!! We could not get an oceanfront room in the first place, so we were actually booked at the Reach Resort. Then, a few weeks before our vacation the oceanfront room opened up and we just cancelled the Reach Resort and booked Southernmost! We were SO GLAD we did!
The room was brand new and so spacious! The service is wonderful and the view is incredible! The staff is SO friendly!!!!!!
As for food - the Southernmost Cafe on the beach is just wonderful. It's open on three sides and the view of the ocean is fantastic and so is the food :thumbsup2!
Review of our Southernmost Cafe breakfast is coming up right now!

Thank you!!! We just booked the new oceanview room and I am wondering whether to upgrade to the ocean front. Anyway, the key lime pie on a stick looks amazing, I MUST try that :cloud9: Keep up the great reviews!

[NuttyDisneyMom]

Sounds fabulous! I'm in!popcorn::

[dizneeat]

Oh, oh! I'm going to be in BIG trouble with Mark. A friend here on the DIS suggested if we wanted that we take the Key West Express; we got lazy in Marco Island and never did it. If Mark finds out about the KEY LIME PIE FACTORY he is goinjg to be very upset with me that we didn't go. So just between us...I'm not going to show him this portion of your reviews. ;)

:lmao: Just another reason to go back!

The Blonde Giraffe! OMG! I saw that reviewed 2 different times on the Food Channel and then sent some friends to try it out when they were in Key West. They couldn't stop going back- the very unique crust did it for them. They brought me back some incredible Key Lime cookies that seemed to have white chocolate in them- addictive!
Thanks so much for a photo of the illusive key lime bar. :goodvibes

I never knew The Blonde Giraffe was famous!!! I knew they were selling the Key Lime Pie on a stick and that's what we wanted! Would we have stayed longer we would have definitely gone back there again!

30 days, I am so jealous.

:flower3: Welcome and I hope you like it here!

Thank you!!! We just booked the new oceanview room and I am wondering whether to upgrade to the ocean front. Anyway, the key lime pie on a stick looks amazing, I MUST try that :cloud9: Keep up the great reviews!

I can only recommend the oceanfront rooms! They are fantastic and I think they are larger than the oceanfview ones too, but I could be mistaken, :goodvibes
You can get the Key Lime Pie on a stick at many locations - it is just so good, just a little messy to eat :thumbsup2

Sounds fabulous! I'm in!popcorn::

Welcome! :flower3:

[dizneeat]

Day 5, Aug 19

Breakfast at Sarabeth's

We wanted to try several options for breakfast and dinner so as always I had done some research on the net and Sarabeth's got rave reviews. So before going back to the resort we checked out where it was and it looked intrigueing. Now this morning we drove there, fed the meter and walked over to the restaurant, which is actually situated inside a former church!

We were met outside and welcomed and a very nice lady walked us to our table. It was a really small room and very cosy!

The server asked about drink orders and handed us the menu before she went off to get our drinks.
Tom had some coffee and I had some hot tea and orange juice.

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Really good tea and juice.

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I had already decided back home that if the Green And White, scrambled eggs with scallions and cream cheese was on the menu, that was what I was going to have. It WAS on the menu, so this was what I got and we both ordered a side of 3 Pepper Potatoes. It came with buttered toast and a helping of Sarabeth's Strawberry and Rhubarb jam. I had never imagined that eggs paired with cream cheese could taste so nice. The eggs were silky and not dry at all and the spring onions and cream cheese gave it a really fresh taste.
The jam is devine! It tastes like "old fashioned" jam we were used to when we were kids. So wonderful.

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Tom had decided to try the Key West Pink Shrimp and Bacon Omelet with scallions, and herbs, and smoked mozzarella. We had heard so much about the Key West Pink Shrimp and there was the perfect opportunity to try them. Well, I have to say that this was an equally delicious dish. The pink shrimp were sweet and juicy, the omlet really fluffy and light. I tried a bite and it was really yummy!
We did both clean our plates and even though I had been stuffed after my cream cheese scrambled eggs I managed to fit both pieces of toast and jam in! ;)

[GoofySon'sMom]

I must get to Key West for the pie on a stick! That looks fabulous!

[SurfinTX]

Those eggs look perfectly done. I must say, after you got off the plane you have really had an amazing trip so far! Looks like all that research really payed off.

[lindsey clare]

I must get to Key West for the pie on a stick! That looks fabulous!

agreed. and that shrimp omelet... yum!

[Disney_Mama]

Loving your reviews and pictures....:goodvibes Looking forward to more.:surfweb:

[DLo]

OMG - did i really just see a picture of key lime pie dipped in chocolate on a stick? That looks amazing.

Also, I need to find a Bubba Gump and soon. The dynamite shrimp is something I would eat up!

p.s.Love krispy kreme. grew up and live in the south so have been eating them (not everyday) most of my life.

[dizneeat]

Sorry for the not updating in a few days, but real life just got in the way! Thankfully I will be able to update at the weekend and we should make it to Disney food real soon!

I must get to Key West for the pie on a stick! That looks fabulous!

That pie is a little slice of heaven! :thumbsup2

Those eggs look perfectly done. I must say, after you got off the plane you have really had an amazing trip so far! Looks like all that research really payed off.

Sarabeth's :worship: Yes, after we had left the plane and Miami rain behind us, everything turned out wonderful - and there is lots of magical moments to come!

agreed. and that shrimp omelet... yum!

Pink shrimp - oh my! :goodvibes

Loving your reviews and pictures....:goodvibes Looking forward to more.:surfweb:

I am glad you do! snack and dinner coming right up!

OMG - did i really just see a picture of key lime pie dipped in chocolate on a stick? That looks amazing.

Also, I need to find a Bubba Gump and soon. The dynamite shrimp is something I would eat up!

p.s.Love krispy kreme. grew up and live in the south so have been eating them (not everyday) most of my life.

Key Lime Pie on a stick IS amazing! :cloud9: Bubba and Krispy Kreme are a :thumbsup2

[KatMark]

I was beginning to think you were going to just leave us hanging after the Key Lime Pie on a stick. :rotfl2:

Looking forward to the next segment.

[dizneeat]

Still day 5, Aug 19

A snack from Starbuck's

We spent the morning lighting candles at St. Mary's Star of the Sea for the hurrican missing us, then climbing up to the top of the lighthouse and visiting Ernest Hemingway's house and cats, further on to the end and start of Highway 1 and those famous signs.
After that we needed a snack, so when we passed the Crown Plaza La Concha we decided to pop into Starbuck's and have a Frappuccino and a little rest.

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I decided on having a Caramel Frappuccino - well, that's what I always have! :rotfl2:

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Tom was more adventurous, he had a Java Chip Frappuccino! I didn't try it but he said it was nice.

Next up Dinner at the Southernmost Cafe at the Beach

[dizneeat]

I was beginning to think you were going to just leave us hanging after the Key Lime Pie on a stick. :rotfl2:

Looking forward to the next segment.

Oh, someone needs to earn some money - we are going to see Mickey again (here at his European home) at the end of the month to help him celebrate his Halloween Party! :lmao:
Honestly, it has been a tough week at school and I am glad the weekend is approaching FAST! 3 more lessons tomorrow and then the weekend is going to start! :yay:

[dizneeat]

..... and still day 5, Aug 19

Dinner at the Southernmost Cafe at the Beach

We did some more shopping, got back to the resort and chilled on the balcony with a glass of wine and a beer (for Tom).
In the evening we decided to walk over to the Southernmost Cafe at the Beach again to have dinner.

They were pretty full, but we were lucky and were seated at a table with a view.

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Now, how relaxing and nice is that for a farewell dinner?

We were handed the menus and ordered our diet cokes. There was something on the menu that sounded interesting as a starter.

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So we shared an order of Conch Fritters, an island favorite, deep fried and served with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce. We had never had conch before and I was a bit sceptic, but we were glad we tried. The pieces of conch inside the fritters were somewhat chewy, but the fritter itself was crisp and light and tasted yummy, dipped into the sauce.

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We had not really finished our fritters when they brought out some warm, soft bread and butter.

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They also brought out two "small" salads that came with the main dishes.
Crisp leaves, carrots and tomatoes, served with their house dressing - very good!

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Tom ordered the The A La Mare Pasta, a combination of shrimp, mussels, clams, and crabmeat, with penne pasta, tossed in a spicy marinara sauce. This was quite a big portion, considering they served welcome bread and a salad with it. The pasta itself was loaded with mussels, clams, large and small shrimp and crabmeat. The sauce was not very spicy, but it was still very good.

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I had the Pollo Pasta, grilled chicken breast, spinach and sun dried tomato with penne pasta, tossed in a Caribbean alfredo. The sauce was very creamy, even though it was a little underseasoned too. There was also plenty of chicken breast. But this serving was just to large. I could not even finish two thirds of it!

After dinner we watched the sunset from the pier before we went back and started packing. We were heading back to the mainland the next day and only two more days until we would arrive at Disney!

Next up - breakfast at Turtle Kraals

[Jaimie1911]

Oooh Southernmost Cafe looks yummy especially that bread. And I LOVE the view!

[Miaka]

Great pictures!! thanks for sharing, subbing, this is a great read!

[Jeanieblue114]

:thumbsup2

[KatMark]

I want the Pollo Pasta, grilled chicken breast, spinach and sun dried tomato with penne pasta, tossed in a Caribbean alfredo. YUM!

[onelilspark]

I wish I could eat dinner every night with that view...

[YayDisney!]

Your review is amazing!! Loving it!! :thumbsup2

[dizneeat]

Oooh Southernmost Cafe looks yummy especially that bread. And I LOVE the view!

I hope your wedding in Key West is wonderful! Enjoy the Southernmost Cafe - the food is yummy and the view devine!

Great pictures!! thanks for sharing, subbing, this is a great read!

I am glad you joined us! Just one more day to review until we get to three weeks of Disney food!

:thumbsup2

Welcome! Good to have you here!

I want the Pollo Pasta, grilled chicken breast, spinach and sun dried tomato with penne pasta, tossed in a Caribbean alfredo. YUM!

:thumbsup2 That was one relaxing and yummy meal!

I wish I could eat dinner every night with that view...

Me too!!! :goodvibes

Your review is amazing!! Loving it!! :thumbsup2

Thank you! I am so happy you joined us!

[dizneeat]

Day 6, Aug 20

Breakfast at Turtle Kraals

It was time for us to leave Key West and head back to the mainland. So we loaded everything into the car and went to Key West harbour to have breakfast at Turtle Kraals.
This day we were led through the dining room we had previously been to, out onto an open seating area overlooking the harbour. Here is a photo of our view!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2415.jpg

We both ordered our drinks - the usual, coffee for Tom and hot tea and orange juice for me.

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Tom decided to try their Barbeque Hash and Eggs. A mix of their slow-smoked BBQ meats, potatoes, onion, green peppers and black beans topped with two eggs and served with toast. Having tasted their meats two days before I had to have a try and this was an excellent breakfast. All those meats mixed together with the veggies and seasoned so well - so good! Needless to say the portion was huge! Tom loved it!

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I was craving a sweet breakfast, so I went for the Banana Foster French Toast. Three thick slices of French Toast topped with fresh bananas and a cinnamon and brown sugar toast. They did not lie! These were large and thick slices of yummy French toast. There were a lot of banana slices and the sauce was plenty and to die for. Just what I needed to satisfy my sweet tooth.

After our breakfast we took one last drive up and down Duval Street before we hit the road and went on our long drive back to Miami.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2422.jpg

Next up - an early dinner at Red Lobster

[dizneeat]

Still day 6, Aug 20

The weather was perfect for driving along Highway 1 and crossing all those bridges. We stopped a few times and took photos and enjoyed the scenery. Once you hit the mainland the drive becomes rather boring and we arrived in the Miami area at around 3pm. Since we were starting to get hungry we decided to set our GPS on the nearest Red Lobster and head for dinner. About half an hour later we arrived at the restaurant.

We were immediately seated in a booth and handed a menu. We ordered our staples - two Diet Cokes and started to study the menu.

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When the waiter brought out the drinks, he brought out some warm rolls and butter too. Needless to say we really went for those, since we were hungry.

While munching on the bread and discussing starters we remembered the size of the portions we had the year before and decided against a starter.

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With our main courses we got a salat. We both ordered the Cesar salad, which was crisp with just the right amount of dressing. I just don't like those stale, hard croutons and they were all that was left on the plate when I had finished my salad.

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Tom had the Admiral's Feast, Walt’s Favorite Shrimp, bay scallops, clam strips and flounder fried to a golden brown, with a baked potato as a side and some dipping sauces. Again a huge helping and everything was SO good!

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I ordered the same combo I had had the year before, the Seaside Shrimp Trio, a generous sampling of Walt’s Favorite Shrimp, savory garlic shrimp scampi and shrimp linguini Alfredo. There were lots of breaded and fried shrimp with dipping sauce, which melted in your mouth. The garlic shrimp were soaking in butter and garlic and heavenly, but because of all the butter there was no way I was able to finish them. I loved the shrimp linguini Alfredo! Such a creamy and tasty sauce with loads of shrimp over slightly overcooked linguini. But nevertheless the taste was wonderful!

Once we had finished our meal we drove to our hotel, the same we had stayed at before our trip to Key West. Since their garage has no in and out privileges (and they charge 25$ per day) we decided to park the car and just go to the hotel and enjoy the rest of the evening on the balcony. We needed to be up and out of the room early the next day anyway - we wanted to arrive at Walt Disney World around midday!

Next up - lunch at Wolfgang Puck's Express

[Tarheel Tink]

Those Red Lobster cheddar biscuits really are great! Everything looked wonderful.
I'm very eager to read your Wolfgang Puck's Express review- we are going there in 7 weeks!:goodvibes

[lindsey clare]

karin, you are killing me with all the amazing shrimp photos! that shrimp trio looks fabulous... a little too buttery perhaps, so i can completely understand why you couldn't finish that dish! :laughing:

[dizneeat]

Those Red Lobster cheddar biscuits really are great! Everything looked wonderful.
I'm very eager to read your Wolfgang Puck's Express review- we are going there in 7 weeks!:goodvibes

We only "discovered" Red Lobster last year and it was such a good meal - the biscuits are heavenly and their seafood is too!
Wolfgang Puck is coming right up - we LOVE it and go there OFTEN! If you check out my previous trip reports you will find lots of WPE reviews :rotfl:

karin, you are killing me with all the amazing shrimp photos! that shrimp trio looks fabulous... a little too buttery perhaps, so i can completely understand why you couldn't finish that dish! :laughing:

I just love shrimp :love: and I am ashamed to say I had shrimp the next day as well. :rotfl2: So brace yourself! :flower3:

[dizneeat]

Day 7, Aug 21

Lunch at Wolfgang Puck's Express

We had a very early breakfast at the hotel restaurant buffet, which looked exactly like the one we had our second day (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33805856&postcount=19). We checked out of the hotel at 8.15 and were on our way to Orlando at 8.30. It is a long boring drive and we were counting down the rest stations. We stopped once to have a drink and a cookie but we wanted to get to Walt Disney World as early as possible.
When we were about a half hours drive from WDW I called our friends Mary Ellen and Joe, who had flown in that morning if they had arrived safely. They were already waiting for us at the CBR.

No more stops and a short time later we went through the famous sign!

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We picked up Mary Ellen and Joe, and went back to Caribbean Beach's Customs House to check in. I had booked both our rooms with my AP discount and we therefore needed to check in together. After picking up all our paper work, including the one for our cruise we went back to the car and drove over to DTD to enjoy our first lunch together.

When we arrived the place was packed and there was even a long line to order your food. We have never had that happen before! But the line moved fast and we quickly were able to order our first DDP CS!

We both have favourites there and are longing for them all year round, so when we got there we HAD TO order those favourites.

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Tom ordered his all time favourite - the Rotisserie BBQ Beef, Fire-Roasted Focaccia Melt - Slices of house-roasted Niman Ranch rotisserie beef, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and Wolfgang's signature BBQ sauce, topped with mozzarella, rolled in warm, all-natural garlic focaccia bread, served with homemade chips and some green leaves.
I tried it and it was as good as we remembered it. The beef is so tender and the taste of it together with the other components is just amazing.

Mary Ellen had ordered the Roasted Chicken and Mash, but she had dug into it before I was able to take a picture.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2441.jpg

Joe had the Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza - mozzarella and Grana Padano Parmesan with tomato-basil garlic sauce, which he loved.

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I always love the Four Cheese Pesto Pizza - creamy goat cheese, mozzarella, fontina and Parmesan with Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic-basil pesto sauce and sun dried tomatoes, so this is what I had. It is a rather heavy pizza with all that cheese, but it is just SO good. I was so happy I was so hungry and I nearly finished off the whole pizza. But I had to save room for dessert.

Joe and Mary Ellen had gotten a fruit cup and a cookie, but there is only one thing Tom and I order when we go there. Don't get me wrong, we have tried them all, their cookies are freshly made and really yummy, the brownie is chewy, moist and yummy and the frozen yoghurt with toppings is so good too, but I love ....................

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2442.jpg

their Creme Brulee! It is so silky and creamy and always perfect. I very often order Creme Brulee, but this is by far my favourite!

Was the DDP worth it?
Paid for DDP (2 people, 2 nights) $ 160,-
WPE $ 41, 70
$ 160 - $ 41, 70 = $ 118,30

Next up - Ghirardelli ice-cream sundaes

[Tarheel Tink]

Tom's rotisserie BBQ beef meal! OMG! That immediately got added to my list! Great photos!

[dizneeat]

Tom's rotisserie BBQ beef meal! OMG! That immediately got added to my list! Great photos!

:thumbsup2 I am trying to do my best with the photos, unfortunately they don't always turn out well! ;)

[dizneeat]

Still day 7, Aug 21

After our lunch we went to check out DTD and waited for our phone calls from Disney that our rooms would be ready.
Mary Ellen and Joe were waiting for their CM friend who was giving them tickets for the parks for the next day and Tom and I needed to renew our APs.
When we came back from Guest relations Kryss (the CM) had joined Mary Ellen and Joe and we decided to have an ice-cream sundae at Ghirardelli's.

Kryss and Joe dug into their ice-cream before I could even reach for my camera but Mary Ellen let me take a photo of her sundae.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2444.jpg

She had the Haight AshBerry - Very Berry Sundae - strawberry cheesecake ice cream smothered with sliced strawberries under a layer of blueberry cheesecake ice cream, blueberry topping, whipped cream, our chocolate-covered blueberries and a chocolate dipped waffle roll. Well, what can I say - it must have been good - she finished it!!

Tom and I were still stuffed from lunch, so we decided to share a sundae.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2446.jpg

We had The Gold Rush - Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sundae - Vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and melted peanut better throughout. Topped with whipped cream, roasted peanut halves, cherry and Ghirardelli Squares milk chocolate. I have lately developed my love for all things peanut butter, so this was just up my alley. But beware this thing is huge! The two of us had trouble finishing it, even though we both loved it!

We paid OOP for that, so no DDP calculation.

Next up - dinner at Kona Cafe.

[SurfinTX]

:cloud9: That Strawberry Cheescake sundae...that will be my precious. Good to see you have made it to Orlando with little to no fuss.

[dizneeat]

:cloud9: That Strawberry Cheescake sundae...that will be my precious. Good to see you have made it to Orlando with little to no fuss.

:thumbsup2 Now, let's go and eat some more!

[wdwfanatic316]

Love your reviews! Can't wait for more! popcorn::

[dizneeat]

Love your reviews! Can't wait for more! popcorn::

I am so glad you like them! Just working on the next installment, should be up real soon!

[dizneeat]

.......... and still day 7, Aug 21

Before we headed back to the resort we made a short stop at Publix to buy a few drinks we wanted to take on the cruise.

Finally we went back to the resort and checked out our rooms. We had asked for connecting rooms and we got them. Tom and I even had a corner room - two windows, yeah!!!!

Here are a few pix of the room! I love those new Pirate rooms!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/DSC_0050.jpg

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After we had settled in and I had found them, Mary Ellen was given her birthday presents and we had fun just hanging out in the room. We then decided that we needed to walk around the resort, so we did.

By 8pm we drove over to the Polynesian for our 8.40 dinner ADR. When we arrived the rest of the party, Mary Ellen's brother Vinny, his girlfriend Susan and her daughter Olivia, had already checked us in and we were just waiting to be called. And that's what we did, we waited ........ and waited ......... and waited. After an hour's wait and several families with our "head count" who had arrived long after us, had been seated, Joe and Susan went over to sort things out. They claimed not to have had a table our size, but at least two families of 7 or 8 had been seated by then, and they had ALL arrived later than we had. After an hour and 10 minutes we were finally seated - 7 people at a 6 top!! We were all NOT very happy by then, but we were hungry!

From here on it went quite well. We had a fun and fast server, who promptly took our drinks orders and brought out the welcome bread and macademia nut butter. They were all so hungry and everyone dug into the bread before I could take a photo. :sad2:

5 of us ordered the Teriyaki-style New York Strip - sirloin strip grilled with pineapple teriyaki glaze served with mashed Yukon gold potatoes and stir-fried broccolini, cooked to different stages, from medium rare to well done. Unfortunately the only photo I have of it came out VERY blurry, so I won't post it.

Here is what Tom and I decided on.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2448.jpg

Tom had the Miso Glazed Mahi-mahi - served with soba noodles and baby bok choy. He definitely is the adventurous eater in the family! :thumbsup2
I tried it and it was very nice. The Mahi-mahi was moist and tender and the noodles and bok choy were tasty. He cleaned his plate.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2452.jpg

I had an old favourite of mine, the Shrimp and Scallops - panko breaded shrimp and pan-seared scallops with sticky rice and ponzu, spicy guava-passion fruit and wasabi cream sauces. I love this dish. The shrimp are really big and the breading is crisp on the juice shrimp. The scallops were cooked to perfection. Seared on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside - yum. Needless to say - I cleaned my plate too!

Since we were on the DDP, we were in for dessert.

Vinny, Susan and Olivia had the Kilauea Torte - sorry no photo.

But here are two others we had for you!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2454.jpg

Mary Ellen had A Sweet Ending to Your Celebration... White Chocolate Cheesecake - Cheesecake with a hint of white chocolate, strawberry coulis, and whipped cream. I did not try it and I know she LOVES cheesecake and she said it was very good.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2455.jpg

Tom and I had the Chocolate Fondue. Warm chocolate ganache and fruit and maccaroons and crispy cookies to dip into it! What else can a chocolate lover want, :lmao:! Well, it was SO good. The fruit were flavourful and full of juice and the cookies were just perfect to go with the chocolate. We loved it!

Since dinner had taken so long, we all decided to skip EMH at the MK and just go back to the resort.

Was the DDP worth it?
Paid for DDP (2 people, 2 nights) $ 160,-
Left over amount paid $ 118,30
Kona Cafe: $ 66,20
$ 118,30 - $ 66,20 = $ 52,10

Next up - lunch at the Cantina de San Angel.

[wbarkhur]

I am really enjoying your reviews. Great job!!:yay:

[Christine9125]

Still day 7, Aug 21

After our lunch we went to check out DTD and waited for our phone calls from Disney that our rooms would be ready.
Mary Ellen and Joe were waiting for their CM friend who was giving them tickets for the parks for the next day and Tom and I needed to renew our APs.
When we came back from Guest relations Kryss (the CM) had joined Mary Ellen and Joe and we decided to have an ice-cream sundae at Ghirardelli's.

Kryss and Joe dug into their ice-cream before I could even reach for my camera but Mary Ellen let me take a photo of her sundae.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2444.jpg


She had the Haight AshBerry - Very Berry Sundae - strawberry cheesecake ice cream smothered with sliced strawberries under a layer of blueberry cheesecake ice cream, blueberry topping, whipped cream, our chocolate-covered blueberries and a chocolate dipped waffle roll. Well, what can I say - it must have been good - she finished it!!

Tom and I were still stuffed from lunch, so we decided to share a sundae.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2446.jpg

We had The Gold Rush - Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sundae - Vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and melted peanut better throughout. Topped with whipped cream, roasted peanut halves, cherry and Ghirardelli Squares milk chocolate. I have lately developed my love for all things peanut butter, so this was just up my alley. But beware this thing is huge! The two of us had trouble finishing it, even though we both loved it!

We paid OOP for that, so no DDP calculation.

Next up - dinner at Kona Cafe.

I have to haved The Gold Rush, that looks awesome after a sandwich at Earls'

[KatMark]

Awesome updated...great pics!

[Ciciwoowoo]

Goodness, Key West was so lovely I would have been almost sad to leave for WDW. Almost! :lmao:

[dizneeat]

I am really enjoying your reviews. Great job!!:yay:

Thank you! Glad to have you here!

I have to haved The Gold Rush, that looks awesome after a sandwich at Earls'

:thumbsup2

Awesome updated...great pics!

Thank you! But wait until our food at Palo! :cloud9: We had two dinners there and one brunch and it was heaven on earth, well ..... on a cruise ship, :rotfl2:

Goodness, Key West was so lovely I would have been almost sad to leave for WDW. Almost! :lmao:

I actually WAS sad leaving Key West :lmao:! But the thought of WDW didn't let that feeling linger very long! ;)

[dizneeat]

Day 8, Aug 22

Lunch at Cantina de San Angel

Tom and I had an early start after munching a few Oreo cookies and sipping some Coke. We had signed up for the meet of the "Tagrel" group to go "Soarin'" together. The Tags were the group we went on the cruise with, so you are going to hear more of them.

Here are some impressions of the meet.

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After the meet we had some time to kill before the WS opened and so we just enjoyed a picture perfect morning.

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http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/DSC_0152.jpg

Once WS opened we started our quest to try food from different countries. Mexico was first ....

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2477.jpg

We tried a burrito (I think :confused:), that came with rice and refried black beans. I don't get to eat much mexican food, so I do not have anything to compare it with, but I thought it was nice, but nothing to write home about. Good theme park food.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2478.jpg

Here's the whole tray. We got two diet cokes - I paid OOP for the second one and a churro for dessert. That churro was dry and hard and seemed to be a leftover from the day before. I have had MUCH better ones before.

Was the DDP worth it?
Paid for DDP (2 people, 2 nights) $ 160,-
Left over amount paid $ 52,10
Cantina de San Angel: $ 14,80
$ 52,10 - $ 14,80 = $ 37,30

Next up - more food at Sunshine Seasons

[ennisb]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post the reviews and photo's. I just can't wait to head down again and enjoy it all.

[2xcited2sleep]

30 days?!?! :faint: :worship: :faint:

I have so enjoyed your previous reviews so can't wait for this round! Marking my place and looking forward to coming back and reading it all! :yay:

[schatterjee]

Always love your reviews - thank you for taking the time!

[dizneeat]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post the reviews and photo's. I just can't wait to head down again and enjoy it all.

It's nice to have you here! :goodvibes I hope that when you get to WDW you'll have as good a time as we had!

30 days?!?! :faint: :worship: :faint:

I have so enjoyed your previous reviews so can't wait for this round! Marking my place and looking forward to coming back and reading it all! :yay:

It's wonderful that you joined our foodquest! Hope you won't be disappointed! ;)

Always love your reviews - thank you for taking the time!

I am so glad you like my reviews - I love doing them! :goodvibes

[dizneeat]

Still day 8, Aug 22

and another snack at Sunshine Seasons

Right after we had finished our taste of Mexican Food, Mary Ellen and Joe called to tell us that they had arrived at Epcot. We met up with them and Vinny, Susan and Olivia at Sunshine Seasons.

We all went in different directions and Tom and I were not sure what to get, since we were still full from our Mexican food. So we decided that we would just snack on something.

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Tom got the Sushi - the Full Moon Combo - it was nice and fresh, but it was like any pre-packaged sushi.

I love the Strawberry shortcake they serve, but wanted to be adventurous for a change. So this is what I got.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/IMG_2479.jpg

I think it is called the Asian chocolate cake. Well, it was just your regular chocolate cake, nothing to write home about, it actually stuck to the fork. :rotfl2:

We paid OOP for the sushi and drinks and used a snack credit for the cake!

Was the DDP worth it?
Paid for DDP (2 people, 2 nights) $ 160,-
Left over amount paid $ 37,30
Sunshine Seasons: $ 4,30
$ 37,30 - $ 4,30 = $ 33,-

Next up - the Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream

[dizneeat]

......... and still day 8, Aug 22

The Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream

We spent the morning in Epcot, riding a few rides and having a fun day. We finally left Epcot via the International Gateway and walked over to the Beach Club and Beaches and Cream. Since there were 7 in our group we did not hold much hope to be seated together, but Joe asked and we were told it would be about an hour's wait and they would try their best so we could sit at tables that were close together. So Joe held on to the beeper and we went to explore the resorts. Vinny and family had never been and they enjoyed the tour. After about 40 minutes the beeper went off and we went back to Beaches and Cream.
We were seated at two round tables that had been pushed together. Mary Ellen, Joe, Tom and I always have a Kitchen Sink at the beginning of our vacation together, so there was NO question what we would get. Since we have never been able to finish one, we were glad when Vinny, Susan and Olivia decided to join us for one.

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Here it is - in all it's glory, the famous Kitchen Sink - Eight Scoops of Ice Cream served with all the Toppings in the house and a whole can of Whipped Cream! What else can I say? It is just fun to have one with the server announcing it and the quest of what you might end up with this time! :rotfl2:

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Susan "digging in".

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And finally - no, we were not able to finish it - it is just too much!

Next up - dinner at the Wave

[dizneeat]

......... and yet again day 8, Aug 22

Dinner at The Wave

We spent the rest of the afternoon in Epcot. In the evening Tom and I drove over to the Contemporary, while the rest of our "gang" used the Monorail. We could not believe that we actually made it there faster than they did. :rotfl:

We signed in and were told to wait in one of the lounges. Within 15 minutes we were seated in one of the booths.

Tom and I ordered Diet Cokes again and decided to share a starter.

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We got the Lump Crab Cake Pan-seared with Napa Cabbage Slaw and Ginger Tartar Sauce. This was quite a big Crab Cake and it was full of crab meat, very well seasoned and moist. The slaw was a nice change from the usual coleslaw and the Tartar Sauce went so well with the crabcake. There was nothing left on our plate.

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We ALL decided on the same main course, the Grilled Beef Tenderloin Cabernet Jus, White Bean Mash, and Locally Grown Teardrop Tomatoes. Oh, boy, can you say heaven on earth? Melt in your mouth, cooked to perfection beef, which was very well accompanied by the white bean mash and the Cabernet Jus. The tomatoes were sweet and ripe and yummy.

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Needless to say that we needed some hot drinks to go with desserts. Tom decided on an Espresso.

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I needed to have the best tea at WDW, the Lavender Earl Grey! Oh my, I just love that tea!

And here come desserts!

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Here's my plate of bliss! A Sweet Ending to Your Celebration . . . Creamy Indulgence, Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis, Coconut Panna Cotta with Passion Fruit Drizzle, Chocolate-Passion Fruit Mousse with Pecan-Olive Brittle

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Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis Even though this is quite heavy cheesecake, it goes so well with the slightly tart raspberry coulis. And since it is a small portion you can easily enjoy it.

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Coconut Panna Cotta with Passion Fruit Drizzle Very light and creamy panna cotta, which goes so well with the fruit drizzle! Yum!

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Chocolate-Passion Fruit Mousse with Pecan-Olive Brittle Being a chocolate lover this really is for me. The mousse is not too sweet and there is just a tiny bit of brittle to go with it - very enjoyable.

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Tom opted for the Decadent Flavors, Blueberry Compote with Yogurt Gelato, Lemon Cornbread with Vanilla Panna Cotta, Chocolate Mousse with Salted Caramel Sauce

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Blueberry Compote with Yogurt Gelato I am not a big fan of either blueberries or yoghurt gelato, so I did not taste it, but Tom said that this was very light and yummy.

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Lemon Cornbread with Vanilla Panna Cotta I did try it, but this is just a bit much for me. The taste is nice but I find the cornbread a bit heavy. Tom loved it though!

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Chocolate Mousse with Salted Caramel Sauce This is much more up my street. Very light mousse and the sauce goes surprisingly well with it. Even though it's rich, it really helps the chocolate taste! Tom was stuffed, so I had to sacrifice myself for most of it! :rotfl2:

After our dinner we drove back to CBR to show off our Pirate Rooms to Vinny and family, who stayed at Pop! I guess I can say they were impressed! :rotfl:

Was the DDP worth it?
Paid for DDP (2 people, 2 nights) $ 160,-
Left over amount paid $ 33,-
The Wave: $ 83,40 (plus starter and hot drinks OOP)
$ 33 - $ 83,40 = $ 50,40 saved!

Next up - Breakfast at Wolfgang Puck's Express

[GoofySon'sMom]

ooooh, I just love The Wave. Your meal looks fantastic!

[disney_princess_85]

Those pirate rooms are great! Thanks for the continuing reviews. We ate at The Wave but we didn't enjoy it as much as you did, unfortunately. I'm hoping to get my own report up and running by the weekend, so you'll get to see my opinion!

[MickeyNicki]

Ah we have hit the Disney food mother load! I love the beef foccaccia thing from WPE and the pizza looks awesome...I really miss that place, have not been there in a while.

Your Pirate rooms are awesome! Might have to book a stay there soon but I really want to try and get in the Nemo rooms too.

That blueberry sundae from Ghiradelli's looks to die for! We have never been there but I think we should try it!

Oh the Wave, how do I love thee? That place is just soooo awesome, I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as we do...

So whats next? Need...More...Food....Porn!

[KatMark]

NOTE TO SELF: Do not read Karin's dining reviews when hungry (under the weather and have no appetitie). I am drooling over the pictures of the Wave. After seeing your review and Nicki's, The Wave is on the list next year for sure.

[dizneeat]

ooooh, I just love The Wave. Your meal looks fantastic!

The Wave is one of our new favourites, we have always had yummy food there! And the tea ..........

Those pirate rooms are great! Thanks for the continuing reviews. We ate at The Wave but we didn't enjoy it as much as you did, unfortunately. I'm hoping to get my own report up and running by the weekend, so you'll get to see my opinion!

Yes, the Pirate Rooms are fun! They put lots of attention to detail in it and we really enjoyed our stay there.
Sorry about the disappointment at The Wave. I can't wait for your trip/dining report!

Ah we have hit the Disney food mother load! I love the beef foccaccia thing from WPE and the pizza looks awesome...I really miss that place, have not been there in a while.

Your Pirate rooms are awesome! Might have to book a stay there soon but I really want to try and get in the Nemo rooms too.

That blueberry sundae from Ghiradelli's looks to die for! We have never been there but I think we should try it!

Oh the Wave, how do I love thee? That place is just soooo awesome, I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as we do...

So whats next? Need...More...Food....Porn!

Nicki, you know me and WPE :lmao: , but that food really is so good. We didn't go there often enough, but got very familiar with the servers, ;) - we got to a point where they even reserved tables for us when they saw us in line, :rotfl2:

I LOVE those Pirate Rooms! Even IF the beds give you nasty bruises when you bump into them! But as I mentioned before - the attention to detail is amazing, even the carpet looks like a wooden floor!

You have never been to Ghirardelli's?? Not even to pick up a free chocolate sample? Their sundaes are yum yum! Something you HAVE TO fit in in December! :thumbsup2

NOTE TO SELF: Do not read Karin's dining reviews when hungry (under the weather and have no appetitie). I am drooling over the pictures of the Wave. After seeing your review and Nicki's, The Wave is on the list next year for sure.

You need to try the Wave! ::yes:: We only had yummy food there and boy, do I love that tea!!

[onelilspark]

Everything looks so good!!

[momsoftwins]

I am so on board for this food porn!!! Count me in! And great reviews and pic thus far!! Keep up the good work!

[dizneeat]

Everything looks so good!!

We so enjoyed this vacation and the food!!!!!!! ;)

I am so on board for this food porn!!! Count me in! And great reviews and pic thus far!! Keep up the good work!

I am so happy to have you on board! :thumbsup2 There's LOADS more yummy food to come! We ate a lot in those 30 days!

[dizneeat]

Day 9, Aug 23

Breakfast at Wolfgang Puck's Express

We were up early that day, since we were going on our first Disney cruise and we were all so excited.
By 8.30 we were ready to head to the car and drive to DTD for a pre-cruise breakfast at Wolfgang Puck's Express. They open at 9am and we arrived about 5 minutes after that and there were already a few people in line ahead of us.
We got to the same cashier we had had two days before and she actually remembered us. I explained to her that I only had one CS credit left and wanted to pay cash for the second breakfast. That was the moment she leaned over and asked if we had any snack credits left. Yes, we did! I told her that I had three left and she asked us if we wanted her to add those three snack credits up to use towards the second breakfast. We were stunned!!! That nice cashier then just said that they don't usually did that, but that they COULD do it for special customers!
So that day had started with some more pixie dust - no need to buy more lollies and stuff with leftover snack credits - instead we got a yummy breakfast with it!!!

So on to the food!
We both ordered a bottle of Orange Juice and Tom had some coffee, while I ordered some hot Earl Grey tea. They have really good quality tea, so I always look forward to it.

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I love their Applewood Smoked Bacon Pizza - scrambled eggs, Niman Ranch Bacon, mozzarella, cheddar cheese and Ranch Dressing. It is just such a tasty treat and the Ranch Dressing brings it all together. What a start into the day.

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Tom had Wolfgang's Breakfast Pocket - Scrambled eggs, peppers, Niman Ranch Bacon, onions, mushrooms, mozzarella and cheddar cheese baked into Wolfgang's pizza dough. He has loved this dish since the first time he had it and it really is yummy!

Was the DDP worth it?
Paid for DDP (2 people, 2 nights) $ 160,-
Amount already saved $ 50,40
Wolfgang Puck's Express: 30,80
$ 50,40 + 30,80 = $ 81,20 saved!

So, WAS the DDP worth it? We paid $ 160,- for it and would have spent 241,20 (within 2 days) - so it was definitely worth it!!

Next up - lunch at the Disney Wonder's Beach Blanket Buffet

[dizneeat]

Still day 9, Aug 23

Lunch at Beach Blanket Buffet (Disney Wonder)

After breakfast we were ready for our cruise adventure. We picked up our stuff from our hotel room and started our hour long drive to Port Canaveral. About half an hour into our drive the skies ahead of us started to get grey, then dark grey and then VERY dark grey and a heavy downpour set in! It was so heavy we weren't even able to read overhead signs and voila, we went right past the ship!!!
Once we figured out we had driven too far, we turned around and our next quest was to find the cruise ship in rain so heavy not even the GPS was working any more. :scared1:
After about half an hour's search we finally caught sight of the Wonder and by then I was pretty much in doubt if doing a cruise was the right thing. :confused3

We finally got to hand our luggage to cruise line staff and parked the car and headed for the security check and check in. We were lucky there weren't many foreigners checking in, so nearly no wait for us.

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After having our photos taken we entered the ship and it was stunning! We ran into a few of our fellow "Tagrel" cruisers and they told us to hurry and have lunch at Parrot Cay.
Well, Parrot Cay was full and we headed up to deck 9 to the Beach Blanket Buffet, and were surprised as it was literally empty. We both picked up a tray and a plate and went through the line. Unfortunately I did not even remember to take photos of the buffet itself, so there are only photos of our plates.

Here goes ............

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Tom's plate - veggies, peel and eat shrimp and cocktail sauce, roasted potatoes, pasta salad, coleslaw, sweet and sour pork and a piece of bread - can't remember the name

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Foccacchia bread and a dinner roll. The Foccacchia was delicious and Tom went back to get seconds for both of us.

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My plate - sweet and sour pork, nice taste, but the meat was as tough as old boots - yuck, I tried one piece and left the rest. Peel and eat shrimp - they were cold and a bit tough, but quite okay once you dipped them into the cocktail sauce. Roasted potatoes and veggies - the potatoes were nice, well cooked, roasted and seasoned and the veggies were raw, crunchy and nice dipped into the cocktail sauce and salad dressing. Green leaves with yoghurt dressing - that's what I am missing most - green leaves with a light dressing like vinaigrette. Well, they did not offer vinaigrette, but the yoghurt dressing was tart and not as heavy as the other sauces. Fried fish with "some" sauce. Batter dipped fried fish, crispy on the outside and moist and yummy fish - I did not like the sauce it came with, it was too sweet.

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We both got a "Bahama Mama" - the welcome drink on board.

And off we went to the dessert buffet

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My plate - chocolate cake - now this was very nice moist cake and the filling and icing was delicious. Then there was some choux pastry "thingy", which was filled with vanilla cream and glaced with chocolate - oh yum! I also tried some peach cobbler (pudding?), which was wonderful and it was even more mouthwatering with the vanilla sauce.

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Tom had the same peach cobbler and choux pastry and he tried a banana tart with cream on top. He ate it all, so it must have been good.

Once we had finished dinner we went downstairs to our cabin. A little later Mary Ellen and Joe arrived and while they had lunch Tom and I unpacked.

[jeminni]

Karin.

I've never had breakfast at WPE before but after reading your reviews and seeing the yummy looking pictures you posted, I will be trying that on my next trip. :goodvibes

[DaveInTN]

WOW!! I just now stumbled upon this thread and have been catching up. My wife is wondering why I'm sitting in my chair moaning and smacking my lips! Well, she was wondering until I shared some of your delicious pics with her. And until now, I didn't even know pics could be delicious!! Keep it coming!

[KatMark]

Oooh...all of your latest posts look super yummy. The breakfast at WPE and the cruise food. I need to go have a cookie or two so my tummy stops grumbling.

[dizneeat]

Karin.

I've never had breakfast at WPE before but after reading your reviews and seeing the yummy looking pictures you posted, I will be trying that on my next trip. :goodvibes

You will be glad you did! I just LOVE breakfast there and reading your thread I guess you enjoy a decent cup of tea as much as I do - they DO have nice tea! Wait for the Cornflakes French Toast I had there after the cruise - oh boy! :goodvibes

WOW!! I just now stumbled upon this thread and have been catching up. My wife is wondering why I'm sitting in my chair moaning and smacking my lips! Well, she was wondering until I shared some of your delicious pics with her. And until now, I didn't even know pics could be delicious!! Keep it coming!

So happy to have you here and especially since you seem to enjoy the disneyliscious photos! :goodvibes
There is LOTS more to come, so stay tuned!

Oooh...all of your latest posts look super yummy. The breakfast at WPE and the cruise food. I need to go have a cookie or two so my tummy stops grumbling.

Kathy, get another cookie, more yummy food coming right up! ;)

[dizneeat]

......... and still day 9, Aug 23

Dinner at Triton's

It was soon time for the Lifeboat Drill and we were so prepared for it! :rotfl2: Tom and Mary Ellen even tried a little dance.

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During the lifeboat drill Joe made friends with a CM, who later told us that he worked at Palo, the adults only restaurant and should we dine there, we should definitely ask for him.

After the lifeboat drill we went back to our cabin, stowed away the lifejackets and went to the Sail Away Party. Since we had had a lot of "liquid sunshine" (we would call it rain) according to cruise director Christian the party took place in the lobby. Such a fun event!

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After the party we went back to our staterooms, had a little break and then headed to the Walt Disney Theater to view the Golden Mickeys.

Here are a few impressions:

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The show takes about an hour and it is STUNNING!! We both really loved it. By now it was time to get changed and get ready for dinner.

We met our fellow Tagrel cruisers in the dining room and our servers Miguel and Ferenc introduced themselves.

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Tom and I ordered Diet Cokes (what else) and we both got a Cosmopolitan L'Orange, Grey Goose L'Orange, Grand Marnier, Cranberry Juice, dash of lime juice. It was a bit strong for my taste, but still very yummy.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2633.jpg

For our starter we both ordered the Applewood Smoked Bacon and Wild Mushroom Tart with Creamy Leeks. Boy, that was delicious! The crust was flaky and the filling was soft and light, not too overpowering in the bacon flavour - just plain to die for!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2635.jpg

For my main course I ordered "Triton's" Seared Sea Bass with a Mushroom Herb Risotto, Sweet Onion Marmalade, and garnished with a Potato Crisp. To be honest I was VERY happy with that dish! The risotto was creamy and had a good mushroom taste, the sea bass was lightly seasoned and moist.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2638.jpg

Tom had the Three-Cheese Lobster Macaroni, Lobster Meat, Gruyère, and Cheddar Cheese Sauce tossed with Tubular Pasta and topped with a Parmesan Wafer. I tried a little bit and it was really delicious. Lots of lobster mixed into a surprisingly light cheese sauce. What a yummy start to our cruise.

Next up were the desserts. And since we were so delighted by the starters and main courses, we really had high hopes.

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Tom ordered the Grand Marnier Soufflé with Vanilla Sauce. Well, it was more like a heavy muffin with Vanilla Sauce. Nowhere near a souffle and you could still taste the cornflour they had used. You could see it was no souffle when the waiter put the spoon in and poured the Vanilla Sauce - it did NOT sink in a bit! So I was really anxious to try my dessert.

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I wanted to try Triton's Sweet Temptations, A Trio of Crème Brûlée, Chocolate Mousse and Praline Petite Choux.

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I started out trying the Praline Petite Choux first. And I did not like it. It tasted like a piece of stale doughnut, like it had been sitting on that plate for quite some time. The glaze was very sugary and overly sweet. Disappointment!

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Next was the Creme Brulee. If you have read my previous reviews you know that I adore a good creme brulee! So I put my spoon in and ......... yuck! The creme brulee was curdled! I was not a happy bunny!

On to the third part of my dessert.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2646.jpg

Well, that was not all that bad. It reminded me of a mousse you can buy pre-packaged here, but at least there was one edable dessert out of the three.

After dinner we returned to our staterooms, Tom and I got changed and we made the first of our 5 fish extender rounds. Yip, we got 5 rounds of little presents for our group! And this was one of the most fun things we have ever done, taking part in the fish extender "experience". Every time we would come back to the room there would be another little gift in our FE! I'll post a photo of the whole loot when we come to the end of the cruise.

Next up - breakfast at Parrot Cay

[dizneeat]

Yippie - this is my 1000th post!!

Day 10, Aug 24
Breakfast at Parrot Cay

Another day with an early start. We had booked an excursion in Nassau, which was to start at 10am and we wanted to have breakfast before that.

So we decided to go to Parrot Cay for breakfast. They were half empty by the time we arrived and we were led to a nice table near the back of the restaurant. Our server brought some coffee, tea and juice and we were on the way to the buffet.

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My first plate - there is some fruit, a small piece of salmon, some ham and cheese, cucumber slices and a piece of toast

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2648.jpg

Tom's first plate - about the same as I had, just that he chose a bagel over the toast

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2649.jpg

My second plate - some hash, breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, an "English muffin" which tasted and looked like a crumpet to me and a bit of Fritatta

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2650.jpg

Tom's second plate - about the same as I had again, just a bit more and I can see that he added some sausage as well.

I am not a big fan of buffets, I'd much rather have my food arranged nicely on a plate and served to me.

We met up with Mary Ellen and Joe and went on the Nassau sightseeing tour.

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After the tour we went back on board and had some lunch. Tom had a cheeseburger and I had chicken fingers and fries. Unfortunately we BOTH forgot our cameras, so there are no photos - but to be very honest - take any burger or chicken tender photo you see in the park and that is it - same thing!

We enjoyed the afternoon on board and were looking forward to dinner at Palo!

Next up - dinner at Palo

[dizneeat]

still day 10, Aug 24

Dinner at Palo

I had read so much about Palo - we HAD TO try it for ourselves. Now, what IS Palo? - It is the adults only, high end restaurant on the Disney Wonder - think California Grill, without all the noise and even a notch above California Grill!

So we got dressed up for the occasion, signed in and asked if Michele, the CM we had met at the lifeboat drill was working and if we could be seated in his area. Sure! A minute later we were seated and Michele was on hand to greet us. He brought out water for everyone and told us about the adult beverages and left us a menu to have a look at.

Michele let us just enough time to look through the drinks menu when he returned with the antipasti.

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Pane Casalingo - Freshly-baked Bread from their Pizza Oven, served with Palo's Famous Dips. Grissini Sticks, Olive Rolls, Ciabatta Rolls and Six Grain Wholemeal. All the breads were still warm and SO good. But that was not the end of it. This is what he put on the table next!

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A whole plate full of the best meats, olives and cheeses one can nibble on. Specialita' Del Palo: Antipasto Freddo - Prosciutto, Bresaola, Parmesan Reggiano, Marinated Olives - heaven. But it didn't even stop there :lmao: there was even more!

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Three different spreads!

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Aioli - garlic mayonnaise spread - so garlicy, so yummy!

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Dried sunripened tomato and red pepper spread! Oh boy! Yummy goodness!

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Tapanade! Olive spread - I could have happily lived on the antipasti and would not have regretted dining at Palo! It was just so good.

Well, once he brought the antipasti Michele took our drinks orders. Joe had unsweetened ice tea, Mary Ellen had a lemonade (I think) and Tom and I ordered Diet Cokes and some adult beverages.

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My drink - a Strawberry Daiquiri! I just love the taste of this!

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Tom had a Whisky Sour!

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And Mary Ellen had a Mai Tai!

When the drinks arrived we had had enough time to study the menu and I was all set! Well, that was until Michele told us about that day's Chef's specials! He was very convincing and his Italian accent helped a lot! :rotfl:
So here are our starter choices!

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Joe had the Mozzarella and Plum Tomatoes with Balsamic Dressing
Their modern interpretation of a traditional dish. He LOVED it! It must have been good!

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Tom ordered the Fritto di Calamari Lightly-crusted Calamari served with Marinara sauce made with deep fried cherry peppers. I tried this and the calamari were ever so tender, coated in an icredibly crisp batter. The sauce was out of this world!

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Mary Ellen and I went with Michele's recommandation - Grilled shrimp that had been marinaded in spices and then grilled, served with green asparagus and pesto. There are NO words to describe this - the plumpest, juiciest and heavenly spiced shrimp, with crisp asparagus! I could kill for a plate of this goodness right now!

The different courses were nicely spaced so we had time to really enjoy them.
Once we had finished the appetizers, out came the palate cleanser!

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Lime sorbet - slightly sour and lemony sorbet! So good!

A little later out came the main courses!

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Tom had taken Michele's advice and gone for the Osso Bucco. A thick slice of Veal Shank, slowly cooked in red wine and vegetables, sitting on a bed of saffron risotto! The meat actually fell off the bone and the risotto was cooked right to the point. Wonderful dish.

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Joe had the Bigoli all Contadina, with thin Strips of Prime Rib Sautéed with Tomato, Onion and Pancetta in a Ragu flavored with fresh Oregano. He cleaned his plate, so it must have been good.

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Mary Ellen decided on Risotto di Mare, Saffron Risotto served with Fried Zucchini, Shrimp, Mussel and Clams. There were no complaints about this dish either.

Well, remember that I said I had my dinner all decided on? I threw my main course plans over board and followed Michele's recommandation for the main course as well. :thumbsup2

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Pan Seared Grouper with risotto, red pepper puree and fried onions! This was not on the menu either (neither were the shrimp I had as an appetizer), but it was to die for! Disneyliscious!! is all I can say!

We were SO stuffed after our main courses, but Michele "insisted" on us having dessert and not just any dessert!

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Palo's famous Chocolate Soufflé with Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Sauce and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Now this time it was real souffle! Michele stuck his spoon in and it started to go down as he poured the sauce of your choice! Boy was this a heavenly dessert. We struggled, but we managed to eat it all. No way was I going to leave a crumb or drop of this behind. Goodness on a spoon!

Tom and I had an espresso and Mary Ellen and Joe had regular coffee.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2732.jpg

There was even a digestive - lemoncello with lemon sorbet! So cold, so lemony, so good!

So, if you cruise on a Disney ship and you like fine dining - Palo is a MUST!!! Now, imagine this. When we were done with our dinner Michele came back to say his goodbyes and asked if we wanted to come back another night. You can only book ONE Palo dinner online, so we jumped on it. We asked if he could get us in on the day after next and he managed to do so! We were in heaven!
We all went to our cabins and sat out on the balcony for a while and then Tom and I went on another Fish extender round before we went to bed.

Next up - roomservice breakfast

[KatMark]

Ooooh...the food at Palo looks wonderful. I am drooling all over my keyboard right now. :worship:

[jeminni]

WOW
Great review and pictures of Palo. I agree with Kat I am drooling all over my keyboard. Cant wait to see your reviews of your second time there. :goodvibes

[MyTalula]

All of your pictures are amazing!! :thumbsup2 Loving your review and the details you include!! :banana:

[dizneeat]

Ooooh...the food at Palo looks wonderful. I am drooling all over my keyboard right now. :worship:

Oh Kathy, there is A LOT more of Palo to come! I would love to move in there - the food is just too good!

WOW
Great review and pictures of Palo. I agree with Kat I am drooling all over my keyboard. Cant wait to see your reviews of your second time there. :goodvibes

We actually had two more visits to Palo on that trip (4 night :rotfl2:). Everything about that restaurant was heavenly - the restaurant itself, the food and Michele! :lmao: Well, all the CMs up there were top notch and so much fun!

All of your pictures are amazing!! :thumbsup2 Loving your review and the details you include!! :banana:

I am so glad you like it - I am trying my best, it just sometimes isn't easy doing it in a foreign language! ;)

[dizneeat]

Day 11, Aug 25

Castaway Cay day!

Roomservice Breakfast

Today was our day at Castaway Cay! We did not want to miss a minute of it and go ashore as soon as possible, so we ordered room service breakfast the night before.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2736.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2737.jpg

Okay, it was nothing out of the ordinary, but since we ate it, it belongs here! :rotfl:

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2743.jpg

Coffee and hot water for my tea

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2739.jpg

Tea selection

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2738.jpg

Milk and cream cheese for the bagel

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2740.jpg

Bagel - there were a croissant and a muffin underneath

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2741.jpg

Fruit bowl - this was amazingly fresh!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2742.jpg

Orange Juice

Be warned - if you order something for 8am - they WILL deliver it at 8am!!! SHARP!:lmao:

Once we had eaten our breakfast we knocked at Mary Ellen's door, but they did not hear us, so we were heading off the ship to explore Disney's private island!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2777.jpg

Next up - drinks and lunch at Castaway Cay

[dizneeat]

I'VE GOT NEWS!!!!!!

Okay, here I am hijacking my own thread!! :lmao:

But this news is too good NOT to share with all my Dis - friends!

Tom and I have just decided to take a weeklong WDW vacation in February!! :woohoo:

We had to cut our Paris vacation short by a day and we played with the idea of going to WDW instead. The more we thought about it, the more we wanted to go to WDW and in the end we decided to just go for it.

:cheer2: So, we are now booked at Pop Century resort from February 13th until the 20th!! :cheer2:
No dining plan this time, since we always wanted to do some non DDP restaurants and here is what we came up with so far!

Wanna do:
BlueZoo
Il Mulino
Fultons

WPE (yeah, you know me - I CANNOT go to Disney without having my WPE food!)

So, here is my plea for ya! Where else should we eat? My booking window opens Oct 27:scared1:, (the very day everyone on these boards is going to make their reservations as it is supposed to go back to 180 days!!). We are thinking of doing quite some CS as we will only have a week!

Any extra special CS out there? ;)

Thanks for any input! :goodvibes

[MickeyNicki]

First of all, YAY for you guys, that is fantastic!

Now you know you picked three of my favorite restaurants right, OH BOY they are knock your socks off fantastic!

Now if it were us we would add in Jiko, Citrico's, Cali Grill and Flying Fish and the reason I say all signature restaurants is because the quality of the food at the other TS places is not the greatest and the price is high! When I think of what a lousy meal we had at Chefs de France and for $20-30 more we could have gone back to Flying Fish or BlueZoo it kills me!

We would eat CS breakfast and lunch although the parks are not the greatest for CS lunch

Some of our faves are

Beirgarten
Tutto Italia
Chefs de France but for lunch only
50's Prime Time
Sci Fi
ESPN
Beaches and Cream
Kona breakfast
Cape May breakfast and dinner
Crystal Palace breakfast
The Wave..ooh go here!
Tonys
The Plaza

So you can take your pick of any of these, :laughing:

[janloz]

Great report, it makes me want to try one of the cruises. I see Nicki beat me to the suggestions but my would have been the same.

Also, if you need a fridge at POP let me know, your week is open in the fridge swap I organize.

[dizneeat]

First of all, YAY for you guys, that is fantastic!

Now you know you picked three of my favorite restaurants right, OH BOY they are knock your socks off fantastic!

Now if it were us we would add in Jiko, Citrico's, Cali Grill and Flying Fish and the reason I say all signature restaurants is because the quality of the food at the other TS places is not the greatest and the price is high! When I think of what a lousy meal we had at Chefs de France and for $20-30 more we could have gone back to Flying Fish or BlueZoo it kills me!

We would eat CS breakfast and lunch although the parks are not the greatest for CS lunch

Some of our faves are

Beirgarten
Tutto Italia
Chefs de France but for lunch only
50's Prime Time
Sci Fi
ESPN
Beaches and Cream
Kona breakfast
Cape May breakfast and dinner
Crystal Palace breakfast
The Wave..ooh go here!
Tonys
The Plaza

So you can take your pick of any of these, :laughing:


Hey, that was quick!! Guess what I picked Il Mulino, Fulton's and BlueZoo because of YOUR reviews!!

There is ONE simple reason there are no signature restaurants on our list - we are getting 20 days of free dining in August/September and I am upgrading part of it to Deluxe Dining, :worship:! So I have figured out that we would go ALL signature then and just play it low key this time.
But Plaza, The Wave, Beaches and Cream sound terrific. The only one on your list that I absolutely do not like is Biergarten - guess we live to close to the real thing, :rotfl:

I think we will just eat CS at some of the resorts! I so wanna try Captain Cook's and we never actually made it there. We had a fun lunch at Artist's Palatte and I wanna go back to Cookes of Dublin. Guess this next weekend is planning, planning, planning! Thank god, Monday is a national holiday here - one more day to plan! :cloud9:

[dizneeat]

Great report, it makes me want to try one of the cruises. I see Nicki beat me to the suggestions but my would have been the same.

Also, if you need a fridge at POP let me know, your week is open in the fridge swap I organize.

Thanks for joining in! You NEED to try one of the cruises! They are fantastic - we really loved it SO much, we are already booked on a 3 night and a 4 night, back to back cruise next summer! :thumbsup2

As for that fridge swap - I am now going over to your site to check it out! Thanks for offering it!! :flower3:

[janloz]

Thanks for joining in! You NEED to try one of the cruises! They are fantastic - we really loved it SO much, we are already booked on a 3 night and a 4 night, back to back cruise next summer! :thumbsup2

As for that fridge swap - I am now going over to your site to check it out! Thanks for offering it!! :flower3:

thanks, my DH and I went on a carnival cruise about 20 years ago and haven't tried it ago since. our kids have been asking to go on Disney cruise so maybe our trip in 2012 will be cruise and WDW.

I got your PM about the swap, just let me know.

[DaveInTN]

popcorn::
I am anxiously awaiting your next installment! I do need to make sure I've eaten though the next time I sign on. I'm hungry again!! You sure know how to do a vacation right!

[KatMark]

Hey, that was quick!! Guess what I picked Il Mulino, Fulton's and BlueZoo because of YOUR reviews!!

There is ONE simple reason there are no signature restaurants on our list - we are getting 20 days of free dining in August/September and I am upgrading part of it to Deluxe Dining, :worship:! So I have figured out that we would go ALL signature then and just play it low key this time.
But Plaza, The Wave, Beaches and Cream sound terrific. The only one on your list that I absolutely do not like is Biergarten - guess we live to close to the real thing, :rotfl:

I think we will just eat CS at some of the resorts! I so wanna try Captain Cook's and we never actually made it there. We had a fun lunch at Artist's Palatte and I wanna go back to Cookes of Dublin. Guess this next weekend is planning, planning, planning! Thank god, Monday is a national holiday here - one more day to plan! :cloud9:

Well, you've already got Fulton's which Nic & I agree on as being superb. I also agree with her on Sci Fi (lunch, not dinner), Crystal Palace for breakfast and Cape May Cafe for either meal.

Lucky you!!! :)

popcorn::
I am anxiously awaiting your next installment! I do need to make sure I've eaten though the next time I sign on. I'm hungry again!! You sure know how to do a vacation right!

Dave, I have a friend who has family in Adamsville, TN (they own a farm). Any where near you?

[dizneeat]

thanks, my DH and I went on a carnival cruise about 20 years ago and haven't tried it ago since. our kids have been asking to go on Disney cruise so maybe our trip in 2012 will be cruise and WDW.

I got your PM about the swap, just let me know.

:thumbsup2 on your plans for your 2012 WDW/cruise vacation!!

Thanks for inviting us to the swap! :cloud9:

popcorn::
I am anxiously awaiting your next installment! I do need to make sure I've eaten though the next time I sign on. I'm hungry again!! You sure know how to do a vacation right!

Next few installments coming up over the weekend! I suggest you do NOT read them hungry as there are TWO more Palo reviews coming up! ;)

Well, you've already got Fulton's which Nic & I agree on as being superb. I also agree with her on Sci Fi (lunch, not dinner), Crystal Palace for breakfast and Cape May Cafe for either meal.
Lucky you!!! :)

I am so looking forward to the long holiday weekend (Oct 26 is Austria's national holiday) so I can actually plan that vacation! :cloud9:
We will definitely try for Fulton's, BlueZoo and Il Mulino. Tom and I are throwing around a few other options and I guess we'll do a few more lunches and fill the rest with CS and/or offsite dining!

So much to eat - so little time!! :rotfl2:

[dizneeat]

Still day 11, Aug 25

A day at Castaway Cay!
Serenity Bay - drinks and lunch

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/22.jpg

So, here we were - setting foot onto Disney's Private Island. Just let me say, it is BEAUTIFUL!

Since Tom and I got off the Wonder early it was not too blazing hot for us to explore the island. We checked out the Family Beach, the She Sells Sea Shells store and finally decided to head out to Serenity Bay.
(Side note - Tom and I are both NOT beach people! So all we wanted to do was go to Serenity Bay, stick our toes into the ocean and head back to do some shopping, check out the Pirate ship and go back to the Wonder - this is what we HAD PLANNED)
You need to take a tram to Serenity Bay and once we arrived we were greeted by a member of the group we were travelling with, Moley! She had headed out to the beach to grab a few beach chairs for our group. Yip, there is NO reserving chairs, but as long as there is no one wanting to have them .......! :lmao: Soon after Tom and I had arrived the rest of the group started arriving. Well, here is an impression of what we were in for!

www.magicaldisneytrips.com/beach

This is a 360° photo, so be sure to view it ALL the way! And yes, the water IS that colour and it is crystal clear ALL the way.

So, we took a dip into the ocean and we LOVED it - we spent ALL day out there on the beach!!!!!!!

Now, back to drinks and lunch!

They are actually serving out there on the beach!

So, here is what we started out with!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/82.jpg

Captain's Mai Tai, Captain Morgan original spiced rum, amaretto, and pineapple juice topped with a float of Myers's Original dark rum.
That was Tom's drink - really good, but a tad bit strong for my taste - he loved it!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/83.jpg

Pina CoLAVA, Bacardi Razz rum blended with pina colada mix and raspberry puree
My drink - sweet, thick and yummy, you cannot taste the alcohol, just right for me - you will "FEEL" the alcohol lateron ;)

We sat there sipping our drinks and watching members of our group enjoying the waters.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/85.jpg

Shortly after we had finished our first set of drinks Claudia was on hand to deliver some more. Here she is!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/29.jpg

And here is what she delivered!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2759.jpg

Tropical Depression, Light rum, vodka, gin and blue curacao mixed with grenadine, sprite, and a splash of sweet-and-sour. That was Tom's second drink. I tasted it and it definitely tasted too much of alcohol for me.

This is my all time Castaway Cay favourite!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2758.jpg

Konch Kooler, Myers's Original Dark Rum, Bacardi Rum, and pina colada mix mixed with our orange passion guava blend! That was such a wonderful drink - I definitely will have a few more next August! ;) :rotfl:

They even come with a "bubble" Hidden Mickey! :rotfl2:

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2760.jpg

By then they had set up a barbeque at the bar behind our spot and at around 1.30pm we decided to grab a bite as well.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2751.jpg

Tom had some "roast beef" and some BBQ Pork Ribs. There was a salad bar and he had some creamy potato salad, some cucumber - olive salad and some coleslaw with it. It was really good stuff! Such a shame it comes on paper plates! ;)

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2750.jpg

I had the Grilled Mahi Mahi Sandwich, again with some salad, tomato and creamy potato salad. The sandwich was really nice. Well spiced Mahi Mahi, a bit on the dry side, but who really cares in that surrounding. I LOVED the potato salad, creamy and not too sweet - :cloud9: and finally tomato which actually tasted like tomato.
The barbeque area was not crowded at all and there were really only a few people at Serenity Bay!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2761.jpg

We left Serenity Bay around 2.30pm and took the tram back to the shop and Family Beach.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2777.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/klein_595.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/klein_637.jpg

We were back on board the Wonder by 3.30pm.

That day was Pirate's Night, so we took a shower and relaxed on the balcony for a while until it was time for .......

Pirate Dinner at Animator's Palette

[collinsma]

Wow! What a great trip..

[dizneeat]

Wow! What a great trip..

It really WAS a wonderful trip! :goodvibes

[slk537]

Loooove the updates Karin!! We are considering a short cruise (can't resist the "free child" deal!) or Universal on our next trip and your photos and reviews make dcl SO tempting!

My recommendations for CS places we enjoy:

WPE (but you know about this one already! ;) ) ****
Captain Cooks breakfast - almost as good as Kona!
Pepper Market - everything is cooked fresh to order and we've been really impressed. It's like a TS restaurant for a CS credit
The Mara - some interesting items there with the African theme and can't beat the view of the pool
Roaring Fork - good food with a gorgeous resort to visit
Sunshine Seasons

Can you tell we (mostly!) like the resort CS places more than the parks?

I would like to second (or third or fourth) Beaches and Cream and Cape May Cafe. And while you're in that neighborhood, you have to get something from the Boardwalk Bakery. Divine...

And Jiko? :love:

Congratulation on the added trip and HAPPY PLANNING!!!

****I wanted to add that we tried WPE on our last day for breakfast based on your reviews and OH MY GOSH! It was the sleeper hit of our trip. We are thinking about driving up to the Mall of America tomorrow and I might have us go just a mite early to have breakfast there again. So GOOD! (unfortunately the MOA WPE has a much smaller menu than DTD, but it scratches the itch!)

[tinkmom2]

I loved your pics and trip report! We are heading out to WDW on November 16th and back on the Wonder November 19th. For sure this time I am dropping off the kids and heading to Serenity Bay! It looks awesome! We pretty much stuck to the Family Beach on Castaway last time. A question for you? How much was the "Kitchen SinK?" at Beaches and Cream? It looks delicious!

[dizneeat]

Loooove the updates Karin!! We are considering a short cruise (can't resist the "free child" deal!) or Universal on our next trip and your photos and reviews make dcl SO tempting!

My recommendations for CS places we enjoy:

WPE (but you know about this one already! ;) ) ****
Captain Cooks breakfast - almost as good as Kona!
Pepper Market - everything is cooked fresh to order and we've been really impressed. It's like a TS restaurant for a CS credit
The Mara - some interesting items there with the African theme and can't beat the view of the pool
Roaring Fork - good food with a gorgeous resort to visit
Sunshine Seasons

Can you tell we (mostly!) like the resort CS places more than the parks?

I would like to second (or third or fourth) Beaches and Cream and Cape May Cafe. And while you're in that neighborhood, you have to get something from the Boardwalk Bakery. Divine...

And Jiko? :love:

Congratulation on the added trip and HAPPY PLANNING!!!

****I wanted to add that we tried WPE on our last day for breakfast based on your reviews and OH MY GOSH! It was the sleeper hit of our trip. We are thinking about driving up to the Mall of America tomorrow and I might have us go just a mite early to have breakfast there again. So GOOD! (unfortunately the MOA WPE has a much smaller menu than DTD, but it scratches the itch!)

Do DCL next trip - MUCH better than UO ;)!! Seriously, I never thought I would LOVE the cruise part as much as I did! It was really wonderful! Go for a 4night cruise - and don't bother with Nassau - we were SO disappointed, :lmao: Should have stayed on board!

Thanks for the CS recommendations! We won't do DDP next trip, so we can check out whatever we want and not have to "worry" about spending all my credits ;)
We love Mara and I wanted to try Captain Cooks the last two trips and we never made it there :lmao:
I never thought about Pepper Market and Roaring Fork - thanks for the hint :thumbsup2

We have been to Beaches and Cream SO many times, but always for ice-cream - guess this time we will have to eat there - so many people recommending it - it must be amazing!

And I so envy you because you will get to eat at WPE at MOA! I wish I didn't live that far from my fellow Austrian, Wolfgang!

As for Jiko - we are upgrading part of our free DDP to DxDDP next summer and we want to do all the 2 credit restaurants. We had to cancel Jiko last August - I had to go and wave goodbye to MY cruise ship, so we drove all the way to Port Canaveral to say goodbye to the Wonder as it sailed out! :rolleyes1

I loved your pics and trip report! We are heading out to WDW on November 16th and back on the Wonder November 19th. For sure this time I am dropping off the kids and heading to Serenity Bay! It looks awesome! We pretty much stuck to the Family Beach on Castaway last time. A question for you? How much was the "Kitchen SinK?" at Beaches and Cream? It looks delicious!

I am glad you like it! Be sure to check out Serenity Bay! It is wonderful!! We are going on a back to back cruise next summer, so we can spend two days there. :goodvibes
The Kitchen Sink is 22$ before tax (if I remember correctly), but it is SO worth it. The lights flicker and the server is announcing it to the whole restaurant - that alone is worth it, :rotfl:
Last time there were 6 of us and we all loved it. Apart from the ice-cream there are so many treats - candy bars, cookies, brownies, angel ? cake (don't know the correct name of it) and SO many cherries! :cloud9:

[dizneeat]

........... and still day 11, Aug 25

Pirate Dinner night at Animator's Palette

Tonight was Pirate Night and guests are encouraged to dress accordingly! Well, there were a few who REALLY got into it and had absolutely WOW costumes. Tom and I are not very good at dressing up for such an occasion, but we wanted to "blend in".
So here we are on pirate night!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/DSC_0312.jpg

Once we entered the dining room every server was wearing a pirate costume and it looked like it was going to be a fun night. Most of the people from our group had some kind of pirate attire or other and even my little pal was dressed accordingly! He kept a good grip on the menu!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/320.jpg

Tom and I both ordered some Diet Coke and needless to say we needed a speciality cocktail as well.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/327.jpg

Captain's Treasure, Absolute Mandarin, Peach Schnapps and Orange Juice. I really liked this but boy could I feel the alcohol in it! Hm, now that I think of it, could it have been that I was feeling the alcohol of ALL the drinks I had had that night? :rotfl:

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/326.jpg

They started the meal with the bread service, Johnny Cake. Not quite my taste - we don't have anything like it in Austria.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/324.jpg

There was a Pigeon Pea Relish to go with it. We all tried it, but it was rather bland and no one really liked it.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/330.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/331.jpg

I chose "Black Beard's Jumbo Crab Cake" with a Golden Raisin-, Carrot and Coconut Slaw served with a spicy Calypso Dressing. That was a really nice starter! The crab cake was huge and very moist and tasty!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/332.jpg

Tom had Pirates Golden "Pot Stickers", Oriental Pork "Dumplings" deep fried and served with a Tamarind-Ginger soy sauce and Pickled Vegetables. Very good as well. He really enjoyed it.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/335.jpg

Joe had ordered the Caribbean-style Conch Chowder with sherry, sweet peppers, onions, tomatoes, thyme, and garnished with diced potatoes and crispy bacon bits. He was happy with it too!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/337.jpg

Mary Ellen had the Jerk Chicken Salad, jerk seasoned chicken strip over fresh crispy greens with a citrus dressing and plantain chips. She was the only one that did not enjoy her starter very much. There was quite some cilantro in her salad/dressing and it was a really unusual taste.

Let's bring on the main courses!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/339.jpg

My "seat neighbour", from the TagGroup, let me take a photo of her entree. Jack Sparrow’s Barbecue Marinated Beef Short Ribs, Rubbed beef short ribs with tamarind-barbecue sauce served with onion red bliss mashed potatoes and plantain chip. She was full of praise for it!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/340.jpg

I had The Dutchmen's Roasted Dijon-Crusted Sirloin of Beef, Thick cut of beef with roasted sweet potatoes and a black spot tomato with a deep red wine glaze. I loved the sweet potatoes, crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, the tomatoes were yummy, but the beef was as tough as old boots. I didn't even make a dent in it.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/343.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/342.jpg

Tom tried Captain Hook’s Macadamia Nut-Dusted Mahi Mahi, Jasmine rice and sauteed pineapple on a mild curry sauce. This was very yummy and he cleaned his plate.

[dizneeat]

........... and still day 11, Aug 25, part 2

After we had eaten our main course they had a little Pirate FEST in the dining room!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/347.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/351.jpg

Here's a photo of our head waiter, Miguel!

Next up were the desserts.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/360.jpg

I had opted for the Pirates of the Caribbean's Sweet Temptation, A trio of Shiver-me-Timbers white chocolate cheesecake , rum barbossa, walk the triple layered chocolate gangplank cake

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/361.jpg

Rum barbossa, very dense cake with little flavour, I have had better.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/362.jpg

Walk the triple layered chocolate gangplank cake. Very rich chocolate cake - good!! but I was happy this was only a small piece - I got full of it quite soon.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/363.jpg

Shiver-me-Timbers white chocolate cheesecake. Sickingly sweet cheesecake. I had a bite or two, but could not manage any more - that was just too sweet for me!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/364.jpg

Mary Ellen had the "original" version of it. She did say it was very sweet too, but she ADORES cheesecake and managed to finish it!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/366.jpg

Tom had the "original" version of the Rum Barbossa, Captain Barbossa's own recipe of the famous dessert rum baba. It looked totally different to what I had and it did taste different too. Tom quite enjoyed his dessert, so next time I won't have any more dessert samplers ;)

After dinner we went to the Pirates IN the Caribbean Party.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/523.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/510.jpg

Needless to say that brave Captain Mickey came to save the day, or night!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/410.jpg

The evening ended with .................

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/502.jpg

FIREWORKS!!!!!!!!!!!! Now this is something only Disney does and you can tell ....... there were cruiseships "parked" all around the Wonder :lmao: watching OUR fireworks!
Needless to say they were amazing. There was even a dessert party lateron, but we were too stuffed and tired to go to it, so I will have to review that next year ;)

It was a wonderful, wonderful day!

Next up - Brunch at Palo!

[MickeyNicki]

I think Disney needs to hire you as the spokeswoman for the cruises...just from your reviews I want to go on one!

[KatMark]

I think Disney needs to hire you as the spokeswoman for the cruises...just from your reviews I want to go on one!

Me too. I've thought it off and on over the years, but never seriously, and it just sounds and looks great.

[jeminni]

Your cruise looks wonderful. One question though, do you think you could go on one as a solo? My next trips will probably be solo as my husband doesnt do disney. :scared1:

[Lynn5700]

Hi! OMG I love your reviews!!! What an amazing trip!!

[wilderness gal]

:thumbsup2looks like ya'll had some more natur AL fun :goodvibes

WOW pirate: great reviews !!!pirate: :thumbsup2

[dizneeat]

I think Disney needs to hire you as the spokeswoman for the cruises...just from your reviews I want to go on one!

I will gladly accept their offer! ;)
But seriously we both never expected to like it that much! We thought this would be a once in a lifetime experience, and look at me now, sitting here staring at my ticker until I can go on a cruise again. :rolleyes1

Me too. I've thought it off and on over the years, but never seriously, and it just sounds and looks great.

It IS a great experience! I was so afraid I would feel "looked in" being on a ship, but it was so much fun and they just go above and beyond to make you feel happy! I am sure you would love it too!:thumbsup2

Your cruise looks wonderful. One question though, do you think you could go on one as a solo? My next trips will probably be solo as my husband doesnt do disney. :scared1:

I am sure you would be fine travelling solo! :thumbsup2 At dinner you will be seated with others anyway and I have never got to talk to so many "strangers" before, than on that cruise.
And there is SO much to do, so many activities you can sign up for that time just seems to fly by. We never even made it to the "other" evening activities, like Bingo or Karaoke or clubs, because we went to see the early "show" in the Walt Disney Theater and then went to have dinner which took until 9.30 - 10.00pm. We would then go back to the stateroom, change and go do on a fish-extender round.
Have you ever thought of sharing a stateroom with someone? There are people here on the cruise board who are looking for room mates!

Hi! OMG I love your reviews!!! What an amazing trip!!

Welcome Lynn! It truely was a amazing trip with lots of wonderful new experiences and yummy food! ;)

:thumbsup2looks like ya'll had some more natur AL fun :goodvibes

WOW pirate: great reviews !!!pirate: :thumbsup2

Thank you! I am glad you are here! :goodvibes

[dizneeat]

Day 12, Aug 26

Day at sea, Brunch at Palo, Part 1

This was supposed to be our "leisure day" where we could sleep in. Well, we didn't, we got up rather early and sat outside on our balcony and enjoyed the view.

We had a reservation at Palo at 11am and we got there about 10 minutes early. When we signed in we asked if Michele could be our server and we were granted our wish! :goodvibes
We were led to our table and within a minute Michele appeared. He was as nice and friendly as the last time and really treated us like friends. First off, he told us that we would start our brunch with a glass of Prosecco! We all agreed, only Joe does not drink alcohol, so he went for water.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2803.jpg

Then he took us for a tour of the buffet! Have a look for yourself!

Here is the cold selection!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2804.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2805.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2806.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2807.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2808.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2809.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2810.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2811.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2812.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2813.jpg

Breakfast pastries .............

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2814.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2815.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2816.jpg

Hot selection

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2817.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2818.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2819.jpg

Bread and cheese selection

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2820.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2821.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2822.jpg

So, what do you think? We were stunned and if you think that was ALL they had to offer, you'll be surprised!!! ;) :rotfl2:

Next up - What WE had and sweet delights selection!

[Lynn5700]

WOW what a beautiful brunch! So much to choose from.

[KatMark]

All I can say is Oh My God! :worship:

[NuttyDisneyMom]

I agree with Kat! Where's the drooling smilie????? OMG YUMMO!!!!:worship::worship::worship:

[dizneeat]

WOW what a beautiful brunch! So much to choose from.

The buffet was HUGE and EVERYTHING looked so inviting! This was truely amazing!

All I can say is Oh My God! :worship:

And you haven't even seen it all! :lmao: It was so worth the 15 dollars extra to eat there! The food tasted as wonderful as it looked! Have I convinced you now that you need to take a Disney cruise? ;)

I agree with Kat! Where's the drooling smilie????? OMG YUMMO!!!!:worship::worship::worship:

Wait until you see it closer up and the rest of it! It was devine! And it is such a relaxing experience, they do NOT rush you at all! Can't wait for next August when we'll repeat the experience! :cloud9:

[MickeyNicki]

You...Are....Killing....Me....

This is not fair! I must eat that food NOW! Do you think DH would notice if I go AWOL for a week so I can cruise without him??

[onelilspark]

Oh these reviews make me want to do a Disney Cruise!! We're doing Carnival in February (I suggested Disney, but the look I got! :laughing: So I dropped it!) I hope it's half as good!!!

[Tinkerbellie16]

joining...

I can not believe all that food at Palo brunch!!! And yum - I'm totally getting the Beef foccacia melt at WPE & the breakfast one (if I get up early enough). GREAT photos and review - thank you!

[dizneeat]

You...Are....Killing....Me....

This is not fair! I must eat that food NOW! Do you think DH would notice if I go AWOL for a week so I can cruise without him??

:rolleyes1 ;) :rotfl:

And that was only the savory selection!! Loads of desserts are still to follow!

Just show Todd the food and tell him you want to try all that!! ;) But DON'T tell him that there is NO changing restaurants (only if you want to change to CS!)

Oh, by the way, what the heck does AWOL mean - remember, English is NOT my first language, so some things are hard to figure out! :confused3 :lmao:

Oh these reviews make me want to do a Disney Cruise!! We're doing Carnival in February (I suggested Disney, but the look I got! :laughing: So I dropped it!) I hope it's half as good!!!

You are going to have so much fun on your cruise, don't worry! But I have one big request to ask you ............... when you embark on your cruise, please wave to MY ship:worship:, blow it a kiss and tell it that we will be back SOON!!!! ;) :rotfl:

joining...

I can not believe all that food at Palo brunch!!! And yum - I'm totally getting the Beef foccacia melt at WPE & the breakfast one (if I get up early enough). GREAT photos and review - thank you!

Welcome! It's wonderful to have you here!:goodvibes

Oh, and that's only half the fun of eating at Palo - there is a HUGE dessert selection as well:cloud9:. I will have photos of it in the second part of my review, which is coming up in a few more minutes!

[dizneeat]

Still Day 12, Aug 26

Well, where did I leave off? Oh, yes, Michele was showing us the buffet! :cloud9:

We were now left to choose what we wanted to start with!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2823.jpg

When we came back to the table they had folded our napkins again. Sorry this is so blurry, but they removed them for you so you could place your plate, so I had to be very quick with my camera!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2824.jpg

My first plate! Let's start with the Foccacia bread, which was to die for and go clockwise. Next to it is Hummus, which was SO good and the white stuff is some cream cheese stuff, reminded me of Boursin cheese. Then there is Duckbreast and Bressaola under the spoon, which had salmon mousse on it - disneyliscious!!!
white asparagus and green asparagus wrapped in Parma ham and Hollandaise. Both were just cooked to the point and were SO good. Then there is an Olive Roll, smoked salmon and chilled shrimp! Everything tasted as good as it looked!!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2825.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2826.jpg

Here are two views of Tom's first plate! He had some of the same stuff I had and he tried the scallops, the prosciutto wrapped melons, smoked trout and a bloody mary with baby shrimp!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2827.jpg

Tom's bread selection - Olive Rolls and Foccacia!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2828.jpg

We shared a cheese plate! These were all the cheeses that Michele had recommended, but PLEASE, don't ask me any names. :rotfl2:

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2829.jpg

As you can see, the bread was SO good, we had to go back for more. There is a dinner roll, crisp on the outside and very soft on the inside, another Foccacia and some bread that was filled with blue cheese and walnuts - sooooooooo good!

Once we had finished our plates, Michele came over to ask for our choice of hot entree.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2831.jpg

We asked him if he would mind having his picture taken with us and he sat down with us, causing his fellow servers to ask him if he wanted a glass of Prosecco and what HE would like for HIS main dish. After a lot of laughter, he got up and took our orders.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2835.jpg

Mary Ellen ordered the Pancakes and Joe had a Pepperoni Pizza - sorry no photo of it. He dug in before we could get the photo!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2837.jpg

I LOVE Eggs Benedict, so this is what I ordered.

Tom couldn't decide between the Chicken Parmeggiano and the Veal Saltimbocca, so he left it to Michele to decide for him.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2838.jpg

Here is the Chicken Parmeggiano, a very tasty and generous dish and guess what ..........

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2834.jpg

Michele brought him the Veal Saltimbocca as well!!! We all shared a little bit of it and it was melt in your mouth tender and SO tasty!

We were stuffed by then, but Michele insisted :laughing: we get some dessert. So here is the selection!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2840.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2841.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2842.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2843.jpg

Apart from that there were breakfast pastries and lots of different kinds of danish.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2845.jpg

Starting at 6 o'clock with the white creampuff, which was filled with vanilla cream, then there was some chocolate cream pot, which was very light and creamy, just like a creme brulee, just without the burnt sugar. Next to it is a chocolate mousse. I can't remember what the name of this was, but it was a very light cream with a fruit coulis on top. So nice! Next is a coffee mousse and a chocolate dipped strawberry!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2847.jpg

I also had a heavenly Tiramisu!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2846.jpg

Tom had the same things as I had, plus he had a meringe pie as well.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/IMG_2848-1.jpg

Mary Ellen's plate.

Okay, I guess that gives you a little impression of the Palo Brunch buffet! We all enjoyed it VERY much and were SO stuffed when we left! We went back to our staterooms, got changed and Tom and I went to hand out the last round of Fish extender gifties before we all went to explore a bit more of the ship.

Next up - Martini tasting! :rolleyes1 and dinner at Palo

[MrsSpratt]

I think that may be my concept of a perfect day...Brunch at Palo....Martini Tasting...Dinner at Palo....YUMMY!

Can't wait to hear about it all!

Best,

Mrs. Spratt

ps - AWOL is Absent WithOut Leave. It is a military term for not being where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there!

[dizneeat]

I think that may be my concept of a perfect day...Brunch at Palo....Martini Tasting...Dinner at Palo....YUMMY!

Can't wait to hear about it all!

Best,

Mrs. Spratt

ps - AWOL is Absent WithOut Leave. It is a military term for not being where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there!

That WAS the perfect day - Palo, Martini Tasting, a picture perfect Disney theatrical production of Disney Dreams (be sure to bring tissues!) and another visit to Palo! :cool1: ........ and I was one happy bunny!!

Thanks for filling me in on AWOL!! You have NO idea HOW MANY different versions we came up with and NONE of them made sense!!! :rotfl:

[MickeyNicki]

Ok thats it, I am taking my toys and going home...you are an evil Disney food temptress and I have to go make dinner now and it is nothing like what you had on your cruise so I am miserable :lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

If I went on that cruise and ate all that wonderful insanely delicious food I would SINK THE SHIP!

So with that being said....whats next? :laughing:

And thanks Mrs. Spratt for explaining AWOL....I was going to say Absent With Out Lunch :rotfl: Just kidding!

[KatMark]

Ok thats it, I am taking my toys and going home...you are an evil Disney food temptress and I have to go make dinner now and it is nothing like what you had on your cruise so I am miserable :lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

If I went on that cruise and ate all that wonderful insanely delicious food I would SINK THE SHIP!

So with that being said....whats next? :laughing:

And thanks Mrs. Spratt for explaining AWOL....I was going to say Absent With Out Lunch :rotfl: Just kidding!

Okay, Nic (and Karin). I just said to Mark that Nic and I were ditching him and Todd and going on this cruise next year. He just looked at me and rolled his eyes and then said and I QUOTE: "You can't. You and Nic would never survive as there is NO Starbucks on the cruise ship and in the port of calls. And you two would NEVER survive without your Starbucks." That was his way of saying, after seeing the desserts that I showed him from the post, that no way in he** was I going without him.

[jeminni]

Wow Karin, Palo's brunch is to die for.:goodvibes

One question: what is on the spoon on Tom's plate? Oh and I love eggs benedict too, that looks heavenly. :)

[disney_princess_85]

What a fantastic looking brunch! Those desserts... :worship: I can't wait to go on a cruise one day.

[alpinemouse]

Originally Posted by KatMark
Okay, Nic (and Karin). I just said to Mark that Nic and I were ditching him and Todd and going on this cruise next year. He just looked at me and rolled his eyes and then said and I QUOTE: "You can't. You and Nic would never survive as there is NO Starbucks on the cruise ship and in the port of calls. And you two would NEVER survive without your Starbucks." That was his way of saying, after seeing the desserts that I showed him from the post, that no way in he** was I going without him.

Actually there is a Starbucks in Nassau:goodvibes. We could see it from our stateroom-balkony
http://magicaldisneytrips.com/bilder/starb.jpg
Tell Mark there is no reason NOT to cruise.

[KatMark]

Actually there is a Starbucks in Nassau:goodvibes. We could see it from our stateroom-balkony
http://magicaldisneytrips.com/bilder/starb.jpg
Tell Mark there is no reason NOT to cruise.

:rotfl2::rotfl2::lmao::lmao:
Thank you...I can't wait to tell Mark tonight when he gets home. He won't believe it until I show him your post/picture.

Nic, I'm ready...let's leave the men home and go! :thumbsup2

[MickeyNicki]

Nic, I'm ready...let's leave the men home and go! :thumbsup2


I am sooo ready and the bags can be packed in minutes!

[KatMark]

I am sooo ready and the bags can be packed in minutes!

Did you see the previous post of why Mark said you and I couldn't go?

[praisehisname]

You're making me miss our cruises so much! We love the dinner at Palo, but brunch is by far our fave!!!

Denise

[MickeyNicki]

Did you see the previous post of why Mark said you and I couldn't go?

No I didnt...I am not getting all the emails from the threads I subscribe too and it is driving me mad!

I think Mark knows that we love our Starbucks but we can also substitute that with booze in our coffee and be just as happy :lmao:

[dizneeat]

No I didnt...I am not getting all the emails from the threads I subscribe too and it is driving me mad!

I think Mark knows that we love our Starbucks but we can also substitute that with booze in our coffee and be just as happy :lmao:

Could someone please shove A stiff drink in my direction!! I am about to throw in the towel. Trying to make ADRs today is a NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!!!!! On hold - system down, busy signal, all circuits busy - on hold - system down! :sad2:Arrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!

Come on PIXIE DUST!!!

[KatMark]

Could someone please shove A stiff drink in my direction!! I am about to throw in the towel. Trying to make ADRs today is a NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!!!!! On hold - system down, busy signal, all circuits busy - on hold - system down! :sad2:Arrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!

Come on PIXIE DUST!!!

pixiedust:pixiedust:pixiedust:pixiedust: i'm pulling for you. :thumbsup2

[dizneeat]

pixiedust:pixiedust:pixiedust:pixiedust: i'm pulling for you. :thumbsup2

:yay::dance3::cool1::woohoo:

Your Pixie dust did the trick!!!!!!!!!

I FINALLY got EVERYTHING I wanted!!!

So here goes ......

Feb 14, The Wave at 5.30pm
Feb 15, BlueZoo at 6pm (yes, can't wait to try)
Feb 16, Crystal Palace at 9am (wonder if we make it there, but 9 seems like a "doable" time :lmao:)
Feb 16, The Plaza at 1.20pm (we haven't been there in a long time, so glad to go back)
Feb 17, Fulton's at 9pm
Feb 18, Gardenview Tea at the Grand Floridian at 3.40pm
Feb 19, Il Mulino
Feb 20, The Wave at 8.45am (breakfast before we have to fly back home that day :sad2:)

Okay, now I can go and do some work for school! Even though I think my pupils would not have minded if I don't prepare their test! :rotfl2:

[onelilspark]

There's another Starbuck's over in the Marketplace area at the Atlantis.

[KatMark]

:yay::dance3::cool1::woohoo:

Your Pixie dust did the trick!!!!!!!!!

I FINALLY got EVERYTHING I wanted!!!

So here goes ......

Feb 14, The Wave at 5.30pm
Feb 15, BlueZoo at 6pm (yes, can't wait to try)
Feb 16, Crystal Palace at 9am (wonder if we make it there, but 9 seems like a "doable" time :lmao:)
Feb 16, The Plaza at 1.20pm (we haven't been there in a long time, so glad to go back)
Feb 17, Fulton's at 9pm
Feb 18, Gardenview Tea at the Grand Floridian at 3.40pm
Feb 19, Il Mulino
Feb 20, The Wave at 8.45am (breakfast before we have to fly back home that day :sad2:)

Okay, now I can go and do some work for school! Even though I think my pupils would not have minded if I don't prepare their test! :rotfl2:

AWESOME JOB! I'm so happy for you. LOVE The Plaza...had a great meal there again last month.

There's another Starbuck's over in the Marketplace area at the Atlantis.

YES!!!!!!!!

No I didnt...I am not getting all the emails from the threads I subscribe too and it is driving me mad!

I think Mark knows that we love our Starbucks but we can also substitute that with booze in our coffee and be just as happy :lmao:

I told Mark there are two Starbucks and he just rolled his eyes at me. :lmao::lmao:

After the last couple of days we've had (Nic, you can find out the trouble on my "What Would You Do Thread" I wish I was going on the cruise tomorrow.

[dizneeat]

Wow Karin, Palo's brunch is to die for.:goodvibes

One question: what is on the spoon on Tom's plate? Oh and I love eggs benedict too, that looks heavenly. :)

We seem to have a lot in common - a love for WDW, eggs benedict and really good tea! :goodvibes
Oh, that's the salmon mousse on the spoon! It was to die for!

What a fantastic looking brunch! Those desserts... :worship: I can't wait to go on a cruise one day.

Yes, Palo is definitely worth a cruise!! :thumbsup2

Actually there is a Starbucks in Nassau:goodvibes. We could see it from our stateroom-balkony
http://magicaldisneytrips.com/bilder/starb.jpg
Tell Mark there is no reason NOT to cruise.

Thanks for helping, Tom!

Ok thats it, I am taking my toys and going home...you are an evil Disney food temptress and I have to go make dinner now and it is nothing like what you had on your cruise so I am miserable :lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

If I went on that cruise and ate all that wonderful insanely delicious food I would SINK THE SHIP!

So with that being said....whats next? :laughing:

And thanks Mrs. Spratt for explaining AWOL....I was going to say Absent With Out Lunch :rotfl: Just kidding!

So, I am evil! Hmmmmmmmm - yes I AM!!!!!!!! ;)

Up next I have a few pix of our Martini Tasting - you could be interested in that! :laughing:

Oh, and I LOVE Absent With Out Lunch!!!! :rotfl:

You're making me miss our cruises so much! We love the dinner at Palo, but brunch is by far our fave!!!

Denise

Palo definitely rocks! :thumbsup2

There's another Starbuck's over in the Marketplace area at the Atlantis.

Oh, good to know! We will have two days to kill in Nassau next summer! :)

AWESOME JOB! I'm so happy for you. LOVE The Plaza...had a great meal there again last month.

I told Mark there are two Starbucks and he just rolled his eyes at me. :lmao::lmao:

After the last couple of days we've had (Nic, you can find out the trouble on my "What Would You Do Thread" I wish I was going on the cruise tomorrow.

Thank you so much for your magical Pixie Dust! I am really happy with my ADRs even though I already made changes to them the very next day :rotfl: But nothing serious, just changed the times for some of the ADRs.
Oh, and Tom's supervisor agreed to his holiday request, so now we are good to go! Only 106 more days to wait!!!

Any news on Mark's pain? I hope this is all checked soon and there is real good help for him. Hope your son's car trouble is over soon too! I am keeping my fingers crossed that the insurance will compensate you and that he can get a decent new car!

[KatMark]

So, I am evil! Hmmmmmmmm - yes I AM!!!!!!!! ;)

Up next I have a few pix of our Martini Tasting - you could be interested in that! :laughing:

:lmao::lmao: This is funny. "Could be interested" -- Nicki? She's all over that Tasting my dear.

Any news on Mark's pain? I hope this is all checked soon and there is real good help for him. Hope your son's car trouble is over soon too! I am keeping my fingers crossed that the insurance will compensate you and that he can get a decent new car!

We've had to postpone the MRI until next week (it's explained in the other post). :headache:

[dizneeat]

Well, I guess I need to explain, why I have been absent these last few days.

First off, I got in on the mad rush on Oct. 27, to make ADRs for my upcoming trip. Took me all day and several phone calls to complete them.

Then there was loads of work for school. I had to come up with two big written exams for my pupils and that takes a lot of time - I WANT THEM ALL TO PASS!!!

And finally, as you can see from my ticker, Tom and I are off to Disneyland Paris for the weekend.
We are going to their Halloween Party on Saturday evening/night (9pm until 1am), like we have done for the last few years.
So today I packed our bags and tomorrow at 3pm (10am EST) we will be on a plane to Frankfurt and on to Paris. I am NOT sure if we will have internet, but IF we do I will log on and let you all know what's going on!

Since we had a rather measly dining experience last time we decided to go mostly CS, but I will post photos of what we had!

Okay, so finally here is one more installment before we are off to Disney again!

Still Day 12, Aug 26

We started to pack up our things and decided to take a few photos of the fishextender gifts we had received!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/klein_712.jpg

In the afternoon, Tom and I had signed up for a gift exchange with our group but when we got there we found out that they had been delayed and it now overlapped with our Martini tasting. We left our gifts with the rest of the group and went to the Martini tasting.

When we arrived there were already a few people there and some small tables were all set for the tasting. There were 5 glasses placed on every mat!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/klein_716.jpg

From left to right there were - Classic Martini, French Kiss, Washington Apple, Citron Martine and 53 Coco Cadillac - actually I remember that I liked three of them very much, but I can't remember which ones! :laughing: Guess, we'll have to do it again, wanna come along, Nicki and Kathy?

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/klein_717.jpg

Here's Tom BEFORE we tasted. They even invited people to try and shake their own Martini!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/cruise/klein_718.jpg

After the tasting I threw most of our things into the suitcases, got changed for dinner and off we went to Palo again!

Up next - another dinner at Palo (sorry, will have to wait until Monday - I am now off to celebrate Halloween with MICKEY!!!!!!!!)

[MickeyNicki]

Oh dear Lord in Martini Heaven....how do I love thee!

That looks insanely fantasticly wonderful scumptious! I would down all the glasses and hold them out and say

"May I have some more please sir?"

You think they would give a cute gal refills??

Do they have mojito and margarita and colada tastings too? Ooh what about boozy coffee drinks? You KNOW Kathy and I would be all over that too...

Food? Who needs food when you have alcohol!

[Tinkerbellie16]

I did a land/sea vacation and my FAVORITE part was the martini tasting!!! So many martinis - thank goodness DH and I weren't driving anywhere :)

But what are fishextenders????

P.S. HAVE FUN at Disneyland Paris!!!! Hope you have a review of that too :)

[dizneeat]

Bienvenue a Paris, France!

Welcome to Paris - Disneyland Paris!!

We are off to the Halloween Party in a few minutes but I HAD TO post this for Kat and Nicki!!!!!!!!

There are no more excuses NOT to come to DLRP!! Look what I found for you girls, at the Disney Village!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/IMG_3830.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/IMG_3831.jpg

And Nicki - it is NOT so cold if you come in the spring, or summer season ;) :lmao:

[MickeyNicki]

Ok my friend, its officially, you are my worst enemy :lmao:

First you have me booking a cruise and now you have me booking a Paris trip, just for Disney mind you, the heck with that Tower thing you have over there

Whats next? Am I booking a trip to Disney Tokyo too? DisneyLand maybe?

Have a wonderful time tonight hon, while I am sweltering in 90 degree weather!

[KatMark]

Ok my friend, its officially, you are my worst enemy :lmao:

First you have me booking a cruise and now you have me booking a Paris trip, just for Disney mind you, the heck with that Tower thing you have over there

Whats next? Am I booking a trip to Disney Tokyo too? DisneyLand maybe?

Have a wonderful time tonight hon, while I am sweltering in 90 degree weather!

Thanks, Karin! I love the photos. Nic and I are so there!!!!!!!!!

And Nic, please send us some of the warm weather you are having. It's 50 and cloudy here and the poor little ones are going to freeze their little butts off trick or treating later this afternoon.

Karin, have a blast tonight. Can't wait for pics and reviews!

[praisehisname]

Those martinis look so good! I wanted to do the tasting so bad, but didn't want to go alone. DH doesn't drink, so I had no one to go with. :sad1:

Denise

[Tinkerbellie16]

Can I come on the cruise and to Disneyland Paris too???
Can I? Can I? Can I?????
(Oh wait, my kids are saying that about eating Halloween candy :rotfl:)
Seriously though, I'm hijacking your VACATIONS, not just your threads :lmao:

[onelilspark]

I think I would be under the table with that many martinis :rotfl:

[dizneeat]

Oh dear Lord in Martini Heaven....how do I love thee!

That looks insanely fantasticly wonderful scumptious! I would down all the glasses and hold them out and say

"May I have some more please sir?"

You think they would give a cute gal refills??

Do they have mojito and margarita and colada tastings too? Ooh what about boozy coffee drinks? You KNOW Kathy and I would be all over that too...

Food? Who needs food when you have alcohol!

:lmao: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

I did a land/sea vacation and my FAVORITE part was the martini tasting!!! So many martinis - thank goodness DH and I weren't driving anywhere :)

But what are fishextenders????

P.S. HAVE FUN at Disneyland Paris!!!! Hope you have a review of that too :)

Yes, those Martinis do get you in a very good mood! ;) :lmao:

Fish-extenders are little pockets you hang from the fish outside your stateroom door. If you sign up for a FE group - it works like a secret Santa! The people who sign up for it leave little presents in the FE - about every time we got back to our stateroom there was another goody in the bag!

Here's a photo of the FE I made for our cruise!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/IMG_2045.jpg

Those martinis look so good! I wanted to do the tasting so bad, but didn't want to go alone. DH doesn't drink, so I had no one to go with. :sad1:

Denise

Next time - go to the Martini tasting alone. Even though we were seated at small individual tables, they were pushed together and everyone was talking to everyone. It was SO much fun!! We hope to do the wine tasting next time and we definitely are going to do the Martini tasting again! :laughing:

I think I would be under the table with that many martinis :rotfl:

It will definitely get you into "a good mood"! :lmao: We had a fun time for the rest of the evening! ;)

[dizneeat]

Ok my friend, its officially, you are my worst enemy :lmao:

First you have me booking a cruise and now you have me booking a Paris trip, just for Disney mind you, the heck with that Tower thing you have over there

Whats next? Am I booking a trip to Disney Tokyo too? DisneyLand maybe?

Have a wonderful time tonight hon, while I am sweltering in 90 degree weather!

So, I am your worst enemy .......... :lmao::lmao::lmao:

Well, I want you to have the very BEST in life - so what the heck, go on that cruise, go to DLRP and throw in a visit to DL - it is just beautiful there and it is where Walt walked! :goodvibes

And what Tower thing are you referring to? The "Tour Eiffel" - Eiffeltower? Well, there is an elevator going up - doesn't drop you, ;)!
Or is it MY new Tower at the Walt Disney Studios? The Tower of TERROR?? Nice hotel - faulty elevator though - drops you every time! :rotfl2:

Thanks, Karin! I love the photos. Nic and I are so there!!!!!!!!!

And Nic, please send us some of the warm weather you are having. It's 50 and cloudy here and the poor little ones are going to freeze their little butts off trick or treating later this afternoon.

Karin, have a blast tonight. Can't wait for pics and reviews!

It was a fun time at DLRP - even more fun when I found out that they had a special promotion which gave us an additional 10% off of our 20% AP discount! Don't you love Christmas Shopping when they take a third of the bill off? :cloud9:

Can I come on the cruise and to Disneyland Paris too???
Can I? Can I? Can I?????
(Oh wait, my kids are saying that about eating Halloween candy :rotfl:)
Seriously though, I'm hijacking your VACATIONS, not just your threads :lmao:

:goodvibes Sure you can come - and you are very welcome to come along on our vacations, :lmao:

[dizneeat]

We are officially back from our DLRP weekend and I just wanted to give you all a little "report inside the report"

So here is a little info, lots of DLRP (and French) foor and some park impressions!

Let's go!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3801.jpg

Our snack on the first leg of the trip - it's a 50 minute flight from Linz to Frankfurt and YES, they DO cater on such short flights! :goodvibes
Here we got drinks - Tom had coffee and I had Diet Coke and some chocolate filled cookies

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3807.jpg

Since we had skipped lunch we bought wraps in Frankfurt. We shared them - so here is the first one - an Antipasti wrap - yummo!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3810.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3813.jpg

The other one was a Thai Chicken Wrap - very nice and spicy too.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3816.jpg

On the second leg of our journey we had a cheese sandwich. It has herb cream cheese, radishes and a slice of "hard" cheese in it. It was really nice. We both had Coke with it.

Once we arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport Tom went to pick up the car and I waited for our luggage - we got lucky, our suitcase was the first one to be delivered and we were on our way in no time.
The drive to the Kyriad Hotel (a good neighbourhood hotel) is about an hour and was uneventful. We stopped at the gas station and picked up some drinks and chips and then checked into the hotel. We had sandwiches we had brought from home, some Coke and chips and then we went to bed.

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel buffet (included in the stay).

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3817.jpg

This is what they offer - here is my plate, baguette, ham, cheese, hard boiled egg and a chocolate croissant. Pretty standard fare.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3820.jpg

Apple sauce they serve - home made - YUMMY!!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3821.jpg

Tom had the fresh fruit salad.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3822.jpg

His baguette and chocolate croissant

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3824.jpg

Ham, cheese and eggs

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3825.jpg

Orange juice

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3826.jpg

Coffee and hot chocolate

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3832.jpg

Decorations outside the Disney Store in the Disney Village.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3837.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3838.jpg

Some of the decorations in Halloweenland - or otherwise known as Frontierland

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3841.jpg

Blue Lagoon

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3842.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3843.jpg

Mr. Toad's Restaurant - the menus are posted outside the restaurants

[dizneeat]

Part 2

It's a small world after all ............. isn't it?

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3844.jpg

Britain

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3845.jpg

Italy (Hi Nicki!)

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3847.jpg

and the USA

And more menus!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3857.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3858.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3859.jpg

These are from Au Chalet de Marionette

We had lunch at Toad Hall Restaurant

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3865.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3867.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3868.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3862.jpg

We both had the Simple Fish and Chips. Deep fried filets of fish and English chips.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3861.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3872.jpg

It's served on Disney "newspaper".

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3870.jpg

Even the plates are cute.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3863.jpg

Diet Cokes

And here are some Park impressions:

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3874.jpg

Dumbo

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3875.jpg

View of the castle from Cindy's Restaurant (Le Auberge de Cendrillon)

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3877.jpg

Inside the SnowWhite Store

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3879.jpg

And another view of the castle

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3880.jpg

And more Halloween decorations

Care for more menus?

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3881.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3882.jpg

They are from the Cowboy Cookout Barbeque

[MickeyNicki]

I bow to you, her majesty! Your pictures are incredible! Cannot wait to see more and I love the menus!

[KatMark]

I want to eat at Toad Hall Restaurant! Too cute.

[DaveInTN]

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3843.jpg


Hey, the muffins at the bottom of that menu board make a Hidden Mickey! :thumbsup2

[KatMark]

Hey, the muffins at the bottom of that menu board make a Hidden Mickey! :thumbsup2

Great catch, DaveInTN!!!! :goodvibes

[Tinkerbellie16]

Thanks for explaining the fish extender. You made yours??? It is soooo cute!!!!

[dizneeat]

I bow to you, her majesty! Your pictures are incredible! Cannot wait to see more and I love the menus!

:flower3: Oh, my!! Those words of praise from the godess of food reviews! I feel honoured!!! :goodvibes :lmao:

I want to eat at Toad Hall Restaurant! Too cute.

It's a cute restaurant! And they serve food that is a little different to the usual burger and pizza, even though they have gone back to the cute Mickey shaped pizzas and burgers!

Hey, the muffins at the bottom of that menu board make a Hidden Mickey! :thumbsup2

Well spotted! :thumbsup2

Thanks for explaining the fish extender. You made yours??? It is soooo cute!!!!

Yes, I made our FE! I even made one for our friends, who sailed with us. I only have a photo of it before it was finished, but you can get an idea of what it looked like. Joe loves Jasmine, so Tom photoshopped a photo and Mary Ellen LOVES :love: Jamie from Off Kilter and we happend to have their photo. :rotfl2:
All that is missing is the red border around it!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/cruiseklein_2.jpg

[dizneeat]

Paris Part 3

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3888.jpg

In Paris they are all about the Pumpkinmen - so here is a chart on their evolution!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3885.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3890.jpg

Baby Pumpkinmen

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3889.jpg

Kiddy Pumpkinmen :rotfl:

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3892.jpg

Disneyland Hotel at the entrance to the Park

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3896.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3897.jpg

Giant Mickey and Minnie Snowglobes at the entrance to one of the stores at the Walt Disney Studios

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3901.jpg

Mickey has now joined the cast of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show

We then went offsite to pick up a few goodies for dinner before we went to the party.

Look, what Tom found in the food isles!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3902.jpg

Anyone in for a Mickey burger?

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3905.jpg

We had dinner in our hotel room while resting before the party. So here is what we had.
Ham, cured ham, Camembert, tomatoes and Boursin cheese

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3906.jpg

Ham and cured ham

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3907.jpg

Tomatoes and Boursin Cheese

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3908.jpg

Yummy :goodvibes Camembert

From a small country boulangerie/patisserie we picked up these goodies.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3904.jpg

The BEST baguette ever!! :thumbsup2 :cloud9: It is crusty on the outside and so soft on the inside - heavenly!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3909.jpg

Quiche Lorraine (from the bakery) - delish! We had another chicken and leek one, but it was "inhaled" before I thought about taking a photo!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3911.jpg

Eclairs - one chocolate and one coffee - yummo!!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3912.jpg

Tom had an almond croissant with lots of rose water! So good!

[MickeyNicki]

I could live on that meal and be happy every day of my life! Ham, cheese and good french bread...oh my goodness!

[dizneeat]

I could live on that meal and be happy every day of my life! Ham, cheese and good french bread...oh my goodness!

Well, another incentive to make you book that trip to DLRP!!! ;) :lmao: :lmao:

[mcrabeck]

All caught up! Fabulous reviews from both trips- thank you for sharing!

[dizneeat]

Paris Part 4

We spent the evening at DLRP's Halloween Party. When we picked up our wristband the CM punched a hole into them - right through the magnetic strip on the back. How lucky for us - you'll find out in a minute.

When we returned to the park the ticket did not work at the turnstiles, but we had our wristbands. We soon found out they distributed Fastpasses, so we got in line for the first one and nope tickets would not work there either.
So we asked a CM about FP and he told us that some tickets had mistakenly been punched wrongly and we could just ask for a FP - means there is NO time to wait in between picking them up!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3926.jpg

So, we ended up with 3 sets of FP for our favourite rides!! The party itself was nice, but nothing special - actually more like a park being open for EMH. They did have a few street performers who were great, but not enough, the parade is the usually evening parade, Fantillusion and there were NO fireworks! After we had used up all of our FP we left the party early, since it had begun to rain and we were tired.

One last party photo

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3929.jpg

I liked the projection on BTM!

The next morning was our last morning. We had opted for breakfast at 9am and when we walked down to the restaurant we saw that the line was WAAAAAAY out the door. We looked at each other and decided to just drive to the little boulangerie again and get some breakfast.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3935.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3936.jpg

We picked up this "bread", which was filled with mild goat's cheese and bacon bits. It was kind of a brioche dough, flaky and crisp and buttery - oh so good!!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3937.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3938.jpg

Tom picked this puff pastry with loads of chocolate chips - this was so light and delicate and oh, so chocolatey!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3940.jpg

I picked my favourite again - chocolate eclairs! :laughing: They were SO yummy. I had one for breakfast and the other one at the airport.
We packed up all our things, parked the car at the New York Hotel, went to the Disney Village and did all our christmas shopping with a 30% discount! before we headed to the parks

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3942.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3944.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3945.jpg

So here are a few more menus, from another CS restaurant - Victoria's

We walked through the park for a while, but since it was Sunday it was packed and there was NO way to ride anything. So a little after 1pm we left the park and went over to Planet Hollywood at the Disney Village. We were seated right away and ordered Diet Cokes.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3948.jpg

For starter we shared the World Famous Chicken Crunch - Tender strips of chicken breast with a crunchy sweet coating served with Creole mustard. Now this was seriously good! The chicken was moist, but crispy on the outside and the dipping sauce had a nice kick to it.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3949.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3950.jpg

My main course was the L.A. Lasagna - A California twist to a classic lasagna! Fresh pasta tubes filled with ricotta cheese and bolognese meat sauce fried to a golden brown with garlic cream and tomato basil sauces. It was not your usual lasagne, and it was unusual to have fried pasta, but it was really good! I nearly finished it all.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3951.jpg

Tom had the BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger - Their classic Angus burger finished with hickory smoked bacon, tangy sweet barbeque sauce and sharp cheddar cheese. He liked it VERY much and finished all of it!

We were too stuffed for dessert, but had the rest of the chocolate pasty and eclairs at the airport before boarding.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3961.jpg

On the first flight from Paris to Dusseldorf, we were offered another sandwich, ham and cheese this time and it was really good. There was herb cream cheese on the bread, topped with ham and a thin slice of cheese and a lettuce leave. Very nice for a free meal. We both had Coke with it!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/paris10-2009/IMG_3964.jpg

On the last leg of the trip we were offered a snack bag of crackers and pretzels and some drinks as well. Just a 50 minute flight, so this was okay.

Well, that's the end of my Paris review!

Next up - finally back to the regular scheduled programme - dinner at Palo! :goodvibes

[dizneeat]

All caught up! Fabulous reviews from both trips- thank you for sharing!

I am glad you enjoy the reviews! :goodvibes

[Tinkerbellie16]

LOVE the Paris Reviews!!! Thank you!

[KatMark]

This looks really, really good: L.A. Lasagna - A California twist to a classic lasagna! Fresh pasta tubes filled with ricotta cheese and bolognese meat sauce fried to a golden brown with garlic cream and tomato basil sauces

[AlohaPolynesian]

I don't know what took me so long to find you but I'm here! I loved your reviews last time and I can't wait for the rest of these ones. DCL looks like a blast and those drinks on the beach look amazing!! I also loved reading the German words on some of your airplane food, LOL. I am such a dork!

[NuttyDisneyMom]

This looks really, really good: L.A. Lasagna - A California twist to a classic lasagna! Fresh pasta tubes filled with ricotta cheese and bolognese meat sauce fried to a golden brown with garlic cream and tomato basil sauces

It IS really, really good!:cloud9: My DS18 LOVES, and I mean LOVES, O'Hana so much so that he asked to do it 2 times this trip. When I told him he had to choose between O'Hana and Planet Hollywood OR O'Hana x2, he said...."Mom, you know I have to have that Lasagna!".:rotfl: I can't say I blame him, I tried his last time and it is super YUMMY. I'm ordering it for myself this next time!

[NuttyDisneyMom]

Karin your DLRP review was fabulous! I have always wanted to go and hopefully I'll get there....someday.:cloud9:

[dizneeat]

LOVE the Paris Reviews!!! Thank you!

You are very welcome! It was fun sharing our Paris adventures! :goodvibes

This looks really, really good: L.A. Lasagna - A California twist to a classic lasagna! Fresh pasta tubes filled with ricotta cheese and bolognese meat sauce fried to a golden brown with garlic cream and tomato basil sauces

Oh my god - this IS good! I am glad they have the same menu at WDW, because now I think I need to squeeze in a visit to Planet Hollywood too!

I don't know what took me so long to find you but I'm here! I loved your reviews last time and I can't wait for the rest of these ones. DCL looks like a blast and those drinks on the beach look amazing!! I also loved reading the German words on some of your airplane food, LOL. I am such a dork!

It does not matter how late you found this - you found it BEFORE we actually hit the main part of WDW food! ;)
DCL is SO much fun and now with the new Disney Dream going into service Tom and I are so torn about our 2011 vacation - wanted to do Alaska on the Wonder, but the Dream looks so awesome, we might have to change our plans! :lmao:

It IS really, really good!:cloud9: My DS18 LOVES, and I mean LOVES, O'Hana so much so that he asked to do it 2 times this trip. When I told him he had to choose between O'Hana and Planet Hollywood OR O'Hana x2, he said...."Mom, you know I have to have that Lasagna!".:rotfl: I can't say I blame him, I tried his last time and it is super YUMMY. I'm ordering it for myself this next time!

Your son (and you, too) have excellent taste! :rotfl2:

Karin your DLRP review was fabulous! I have always wanted to go and hopefully I'll get there....someday.:cloud9:

Hope you get to go there SOOOOOOOOOON!!! :thumbsup2

[dizneeat]

........... and still day 12, Aug 26

Dinner at Palo (AGAIN!!!)

After the Martini tasting we picked up some snacks from Goofy's Galley, a tuna sandwich and a wrap. Unfortunately we both forgot to take photos!

We then met with Mary Ellen and Joe for DISNEY DREAMS, another theatrical production.

Here are a few impressions.

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This was a really busy afternoon, as after the show we headed back to the room to pick up some collectables we had bought, to have them signed by Captain John, who later became famous for rescueing a Carnival Cruise Passenger, who had fallen overboard!

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So, here is our picture with Captain John!

After that we headed back to the room and packed! Frantically as we had to put our stuff outside the stateroom door by 10pm and we had an 8pm reservation at Palo!
We DID manage to pack everything, just don't ask HOW!!! :lmao:

At 8pm we headed up to Palo. We didn't even have to ask for Michele, the CM in charge still recognized us and told us that Michele would take care of us again. We were led to our table and Michele arrived to greet us and hand us the menus and to serve some water.

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He was quick to return with the Specialita' Del Palo: Antipasto Freddo
Prosciutto, Bresaola, Parmesan Reggiano and Marinated Olives.

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and the Pane Casalingo (Bread Selection)
Freshly baked bread selection from their bakery

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accompanied by homemade dips

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olive tapenade

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aioli

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and roasted pepper & garlic!

To be continued .............

[KatMark]

Okay...I'm drooling here...

[dizneeat]

Dinner at Palo Part 2!

We happily munched our antipasti while Michele was delivering our drinks. In the meantime we had all studied the menus and we were quite sure what we wanted to order for starters - but Michele changed it all again! He told us about the Chef's starter of the day and since he is a trained chef he made it so tempting we ALL got his recommendation!

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Unfortunately it was not printed on any menu, so you will have to rely on my description. It was griddled slices of zucchini, layered in a baking tin and filled with mozzarella and mascarpone cheese, then baked in the oven and served with tomato sauce and shaved Parmesan! It was oh SO good! We all cleaned our plates!

But that was not enough!

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Michele came out with two more starters for all of us to try and share! This was number one - Polenta covered in Mushroom sauce and balsamic drizzle. We all thought that it was a tad heavy and the Polenta was slightly underseasoned, but it was still nice.

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This one was by far our favourite of the two extra starters! Tuna Carpaccio and Lemon Oil Dressing, thin slices of ahi grade tuna brushed with our Chef's special lemon oil. Wow! That was good, the tuna melted in your mouth and went great with the slightly tangy lemon oil!

Next was the palate cleanser

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Lemon and basil sorbet - mmmmhhhhhhhhhhh!

Three of us decided on the same main course - after Michele recommended it! ;)

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Beef Tenderloin "Palo" served with Palo signature Barolo red wine sauce or Gorgonzola Sauce. Mary Ellen had the Barolo sauce and Joe and I had the Gorgonzola Sauce. They mixed up Joe's and my plate - we only noticed when Joe ended up with the medium Tenderloin and I had the well done one. We just switched plates and everything was a-okay again. (This is why the beef looks somewhat dry - I took a photo of the well done steak!)

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Here is Michele offering some "peppero nero" (black pepper)

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Tom had decided to try the Lobster and Mascarpone Ravioli. Freshly prepared served with a light truffle beurre blanc. They were SO good! Full of lobster meat and the sauce was just light and tasty!

On to desserts ........

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ALL of us decided on the same dessert again - the Chocolate Soufflé
with Vanilla Bean Sauce

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and with chocolate sauce

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Action shot!

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Michele pointed out a Hidden Mickey on the plate ............

and even brought out another delightful dessert for all of us to try and share!

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Panna Cotta, sweet, White Cream Custard with fresh Berries - light, creamy and cool, the perfect dessert, but we were STUFFED!

Needless to say, we needed our picture taken with Michele again!

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We "rolled" back to our rooms, put the luggage outside our doors and sat outside on the balcony for a while, before we called it a day and went to bed.

Next up - a late lunch at Bubba Gump's

[MickeyNicki]

Anyone ever tell you that you are a tease? :lmao:

[dizneeat]

Okay...I'm drooling here...

:lmao::lmao::lmao:

[dizneeat]

Anyone ever tell you that you are a tease? :lmao:

Had to google it again, :rotfl2: but I'll take it as a compliment from ya!

[KatMark]

Anyone ever tell you that you are a tease? :lmao:

Nic, I suggest that we just hideaway in her luggage next trip and be stowaways.

[MickeyNicki]

Had to google it again, :rotfl2: but I'll take it as a compliment from ya!

I am such a dork, I forget about the English language thing ;)

How about you are a very naughty girl showing me these pictures while I am starving from skipping lunch? Ya get that one dont cha??

[MickeyNicki]

Nic, I suggest that we just hideaway in her luggage next trip and be stowaways.

Excellent idea!

[dizneeat]

Nic, I suggest that we just hideaway in her luggage next trip and be stowaways.

I suggest you hide in my Disney bag! :rotfl: You could have fun with my Pal Mickey while travelling! :rotfl2:

I am such a dork, I forget about the English language thing ;)

How about you are a very naughty girl showing me these pictures while I am starving from skipping lunch? Ya get that one dont cha??

:thumbsup2 Gotcha!!! :thumbsup2

But then maybe I should upload another batch of food pix, just for you, my dear! :littleangel:

[KatMark]

I suggest you hide in my Disney bag! :rotfl: You could have fun with my Pal Mickey while travelling! :rotfl2:



:thumbsup2 Gotcha!!! :thumbsup2

But then maybe I should upload another batch of food pix, just for you, my dear! :littleangel:

:lmao::rotfl2::lmao:

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Can't believe I'm so late to the party!! Great reviews, again!!!

[praisehisname]

I'm so jealous you were able to eat Palo so many times! :worship: That was absolutely our favorite part of our cruises!

[dizneeat]

Can't believe I'm so late to the party!! Great reviews, again!!!

Hi Sonya! :flower3: It's great to have you here! I loved YOUR last review :goodvibes and because of you we went to Tony Roma this summer - I made Tom try the ribs and he loved them!! :thumbsup2

I'm so jealous you were able to eat Palo so many times! :worship: That was absolutely our favorite part of our cruises!

We LOVE Palo too! It was so lucky we got to know Michele during the safety drill and that he got us in one more time! :cloud9:

[dizneeat]

Day 13, Aug 27

When we woke up we were already back at Port Canaveral and it was nearly time to say goodbye to the Disney Wonder.

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We were scheduled to have breakfast at Parrot Cay, but we skipped it in favour of a quick bite at Beach Blanket Buffet. Unfortunately we all forgot to take photos, but it was nothing really to write home about anyway.

On the way back to our stateroom we met these guys!

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We checked if we hadn't left anything in the stateroom, and were on our way to depart the ship.

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Mary Ellen and Joe headed for the cruise line bus back to the Port Orleans Riverside Resort and Tom and I went out to the parking lot to load up the car and head to Orlando to stay at Universal's Royal Pacific Resort for the next four days.
And this was what we saw once we left the parking lot!

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Bye, bye boatie!!! C ya next summer!

We drove to Universal, and they even had a room available so we put everything into the room and headed offsite to do some shopping. We came back in the early afternoon and decided to have a late lunch at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co at the Universal Citywalk.

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Guess what - I had another Strawberry Speckled Lemonade! And it was as good as always - I just wish they would serve something similar here.

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Tom had a beer!

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We were both longing for our favourite starter, the Cajun Shrimp, sautéed in a hot and spicy Cajun Butter Sauce. Served with Garlic Bread for dippin'. This is a wonderful dish. The shrimp are juicy and there is lots of hot and spicy butter to be lapped up with the garlic bread. Heavenly!

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Tom had Mama Blue's Southern Charmed Fried Shrimp, with hot and crispy Fries and Cocktail Sauce for dippin'. This is a huge helping and it is soooo good!

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Yip, I had them again! The Dumb Luck Coconut Shrimp served with Cajun Marmalade and Fries. This is my ALL time favourite there. Huge shrimp covered in coconut and dipped in Cajun Marmalade. :cloud9:

After lunch we went to Universal Studios.

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We went on a few rides and were lucky to get in line for Rip Ride Rockit when the line was only 45 minutes long!

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And yes, we both are able to ride this on a full stomach :rotfl:

We went back to the room in the late afternoon and got ready for the event of the evening - the Wishes Dessert Party!

Next up - Wishes Dessert Party

[praisehisname]

I'm sorry your cruise is over, but I'm looking forward to hearing about your Wishes dessert!

[KatMark]

Say it isn't so? The cruise is over?

Well, looking forward to the Wishes Dessert Party. Nicki should be here soon for this one. :)

[Tinkerbellie16]

How cool to meet Captain John! Did he rescue that carnival cruise person before or after your cruise? I didn't quite catch the sequence of events :)

[pigletforever]

coming in late but what a thread.

[dizneeat]

I'm sorry your cruise is over, but I'm looking forward to hearing about your Wishes dessert!

Even though our cruise was over and we were VERY sad to leave, we still had 17 days of Orlando vacation ahead of us! AND there will be 3 Wishes Dessert Parties to review :lmao:

Say it isn't so? The cruise is over?

Well, looking forward to the Wishes Dessert Party. Nicki should be here soon for this one. :)

Yip! Our cruise was over, but we had already booked (with discount) another one for 2010 while on board. Needless to say within a matter of days we changed that to TWO more cruises in 2010!
Wishes Dessert Party review coming up this afternoon!

How cool to meet Captain John! Did he rescue that carnival cruise person before or after your cruise? I didn't quite catch the sequence of events :)

It was really cool to meet Captain John AND to have him sign our collectables!

We were even more impressed with him when he rescued that Carnival Cruise person! It must have been the 3rd or 4th cruise after ours and we were glued to the TV at Old Key West for the morning when those news came in!

coming in late but what a thread.

I am really glad you found us and enjoy reading - more reviews coming up later today! :goodvibes

[dizneeat]

still day 13, Aug 27

Wishes Dessert Party

In the evening we headed over to Walt Disney World. Having those Annual Passes is a real blessing!

We arrived rather late and scored a parking space in walking distance to the Ticket and Transportation Center

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In no time we were on the Monorail and on our way over to the Magic Kingdom!

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When I made the reservation I was given a "check in" time. Ours was 9.15 if I remember correctly, so we decided to stroll around for some time before getting in line. BIG mistake!
Once we came back around 8.45 there was a LOOOOOOOONG line all around the restaurant and nearly into Tomorrowland. We got in line, they took our names, ticked us off their list, gave us a little slip of paper with our seating area and handed out wristbands.

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At 9pm sharp they started letting people in. It WAS 9.15 until we finally made it to the entrance and we were told where to look for our table.
Couldn't find it and found out that the Castmember had sent us to the wrong area and we were actually seated in the front row with a lovely view of the castle.
The tables were all decorated with Mickey shaped "Pixie dust", a centerpiece and a label with the name of the family.

While I was going to get some drinks, to "mark" our table, Tom took some photos of Spectromagic.

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There was NO way to take photos of the buffet itself, since so many others had been at it before, but the good thing was that we KNEW what to do the next day when we had another reservation for the Wishes Dessert Buffet! :rotfl:

I do apologize for the blurry photos, but the light was just not right and these were the best I could do!

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Okay, let me try to remember what everything was - the yellow glass with the big straw is a Mango Shooter - I am not a big fan of Mangos, but this was nice.
The glass next to it is a Tiramisu (I think, ;)) and the one in front of it had cookie crumbs in the bottom and some kind of cream on top. There is a cannoli, a doughnut hole and a peanut butter cake, can't remember what the small yellowish thing on the left was.

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Tom's plate - had the same as I had, but he had two fruit tarts as well.

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Yip, we went back for a second helping. This one had raspberry tarts, a cannoli, a brownie and two chocolate strawberries.
All in all the desserts were yummy. The strawberries were cold and tasty and the raspberry tarts were great. I was too full for the brownie and just had a small piece, but it was soft and chewy and very chocolatey.
They had an array of drinks - tea, hot and cold if I remember correctly, lemonade, water, coffee, no carbonated drinks though. There was plenty of ice to cool down the drinks.

Everyone got up for the fireworks and watched from the railing. Tom and I took a gazillion of photos - here are just a few.

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After the fireworks they cleared out the place, but we didn't want to join the mad rush and still sat there for a bit before we headed to the exit, rode the monorail back to the TTC and walked over to our car.

After a short drive we arrived at the Royal Pacific Resort and fell into bed!

Next up - breakfast at the Island Dining Room at the Royal Pacific Resort

[AlohaPolynesian]

The Wishes party looks awesome! You guys got some great pictures and those desserts look delicious. I have to admit, I've never been interested in DCL before but I am about to go check it out and get some more information after reading this!! Can't wait for more!

[Briarmom]

I love your reviews! How did you get so many reservations at Palo?! So jealous.

I miss Disneyland Paris so very much. We lived just 2 hours away by car for the last 2 years so we went several times. :guilty:

[MickeyNicki]

Love your Wishes review! Cannot wait to go to this!

DH and I stayed at the Royal Pacific a few years ago, we loved the resort and the dinner we had there was just to die for!

[praisehisname]

Mmmm, those desserts look good!

[dizneeat]

The Wishes party looks awesome! You guys got some great pictures and those desserts look delicious. I have to admit, I've never been interested in DCL before but I am about to go check it out and get some more information after reading this!! Can't wait for more!

We loved the Wishes party - would we have attended three of them if we didn't ;) ?
Actually we thought that our Disney Wonder Cruise was a one time event, but there is so much "pixie dust" on that ship (from the CMs, to the food and the entertainment and and and) that it was really hard to leave the ship. We are now booked on two more cruises in 2010 and today I checked for cruises on the Disney Dream :rotfl2::thumbsup2!

I love your reviews! How did you get so many reservations at Palo?! So jealous.

I miss Disneyland Paris so very much. We lived just 2 hours away by car for the last 2 years so we went several times. :guilty:

I am glad you like my reviews! How did we get to eat at Palo three times? I booked a dinner and brunch online - then we got to know one of the servers there, Michele, and he offered to book us any more reservations we wanted. 3 meals at Palo during a 4 night cruise looked like the perfect deal to us ;)

Where did you live when you were just 2 hours away from DLRP? We love going there - it is a two hour flight from here and all that airmile collecting really pays off, we had several free flights to Paris lately. :goodvibes

Love your Wishes review! Cannot wait to go to this!

DH and I stayed at the Royal Pacific a few years ago, we loved the resort and the dinner we had there was just to die for!

Nicki, there are more dessert party pictures coming up shortly. You will so love it and I guess since you are a party of two there is a HUGE chance you will get a front row seat as well. (Just like Brenda and the three times we went!)

We LOVE the Royal Pacific!
I had a HUGE disappointment at the Portofino Bay Hotel a few years ago and vowed NEVER to go to USO again - well, two years later we were back :rotfl: and ever since we have stayed at RP and enjoyed it very much. I really enjoy breakfast at the Island Dining Room, even though their tea comes close to Nescrap! ;) :rotfl2:

Mmmm, those desserts look good!

:thumbsup2 They WERE good!

[mossyflossy]

some fantastic reviews and pictures!

[dizneeat]

Day 14, Aug 28

Breakfast at Island Dining Room

We didn't get up too early the next morning, but we made it to the Island Dining room a little after 9am.

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Tom had some coffee and a skillet with 3 fried eggs over easy! I can't find the skillet on any menu, maybe it was a day special, can't remember. All I remember is that it was quite a huge helping with 3 eggs and I think it came with toast. The hash was really tasty, the eggs were - well, fried eggs!

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I had the Crabcake Eggs Benedict - With asparagus and hollandaise. So good! What a start to the day.
I had some orange juice and some tea, but their tea is somewhat gross - tastes yucky!

After breakfast and applying a generous helping of sun lotion we made our way to the Islands of Adventures.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3020.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3030.jpg

Next up - a quick snack at Thunder Falls Terrasse

[dizneeat]

some fantastic reviews and pictures!

I am so glad you like the reviews! :goodvibes

[DaveInTN]

I have been enjoying every one of the 16 pages (so far!) of this report...and thank you SO MUCH for the pics of the Dessert Party!! We are doing that in 3 weeks, and am so excited. Those desserts look AWESOME!

[dizneeat]

I have been enjoying every one of the 16 pages (so far!) of this report...and thank you SO MUCH for the pics of the Dessert Party!! We are doing that in 3 weeks, and am so excited. Those desserts look AWESOME!

I'll post some more Dessert party photos tomorrow - I just uploaded them to Photobucket, but it is already 11.30pm here and I need to have a little sleep before going back to work tomorrow.:scared1:
There are some photos of some more of our plates on day 2 and a few of the buffet itself - it was amazing!
Stay tuned and c ya tomorrow! :goodvibes

[Tarheel Tink]

I actually had to swallow hard due to salivation caused by that photo of the Crabcake Eggs Benedict!:love:

[klacey1]

What amazing reviews!! I'm so incredibly jealous of how long you get to stay in the World!
How was the Royal Pacific, by the way? My mom is a HUGE universal fan (I am, too, although nothing beats Disney!) and their hotels seem really nice. The front of the line perk is good, but I wish they had a more moderately-priced hotel. I feel their prices are in line with Disney's deluxes.
I loved the Wishes dessert party pictures and can't wait to see more! If they are still doing it next August, I desperately want to do that with DBF.

[dizneeat]

I actually had to swallow hard due to salivation caused by that photo of the Crabcake Eggs Benedict!:love:

:lmao: They really were VERY good!

What amazing reviews!! I'm so incredibly jealous of how long you get to stay in the World!
How was the Royal Pacific, by the way? My mom is a HUGE universal fan (I am, too, although nothing beats Disney!) and their hotels seem really nice. The front of the line perk is good, but I wish they had a more moderately-priced hotel. I feel their prices are in line with Disney's deluxes.
I loved the Wishes dessert party pictures and can't wait to see more! If they are still doing it next August, I desperately want to do that with DBF.

Thank you for your kind words!

We really like the Royal Pacific! But our main incentive to stay there is Universal Express. Not having to wait in line ever is such a nice perk! But you are right, their prices are more in the deluxe range. Watch out for special deals, the last few years we always booked a "stay 4 - play free" deal, which gave us free tickets to the parks AND the Universal Express!
We really hope they will have the Dessert Party next August as I would love to do it again - just not too sure if I wanted to do it again on a MNSSH Party Night. It took quite some time out of the "party time".

[DisneyCrafter]

Wow! So many days at Disney! I would LOVE planning that trip almost just as much as going on it! :-) (ALMOST) I am definitely looking forward to reading this review!

[dizneeat]

Still day 14, Aug 28

Snack at Thunder Falls Terrace

We spent all morning at Islands of Adventures and found another "sight", a "Plymouth Rock"! Love those corny ideas!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0260.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0305.jpg

No, we aren't screamers!

Around midday we thought we might try a little snack. We walked into Thunder Falls Terrace and looked at a the menu -

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3036.jpg

nothing really caught our eye apart from the onion rings. So we got a serving of Onion Rings, breaded and deep fried. They were much more greasy than the WDW variety but they hit the spot.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3037.jpg

Tom had a beer to wash it down and I got a "bucket" of Diet Coke! :rotfl2:

Refreshed we set out to explore and play some more. Here are a few more impressions!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3039.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3048.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3067.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3071.jpg

I just loved this :lmao: :rotfl:

Next up - Wishes Dessert Party Take Two!!

[dizneeat]

Wow! So many days at Disney! I would LOVE planning that trip almost just as much as going on it! :-) (ALMOST) I am definitely looking forward to reading this review!

Glad you joined us! :flower3:
We LOVE our Disney days! And actually I DO LOVE planning my trips, so much that I always need to book/have booked another one when we go on vacation, so I get something to look forward to when we get back home ;)

[DaveInTN]

[COLOR="Red"]Next up - Wishes Dessert Party Take Two!!

popcorn::

[Briarmom]

Where did you live when you were just 2 hours away from DLRP? We love going there - it is a two hour flight from here and all that airmile collecting really pays off, we had several free flights to Paris lately. :goodvibes


In Belgium, on the French boarder.
Loved it.:cloud9:

[dizneeat]

.......... and still day 14, Aug 28

Wishes Dessert Party Take Two

After spending the afternoon at UO we headed back to the Resort at around 3.30pm to have a little rest before our second attempt at the Wishes Dessert Party.
This time it was an hour earlier and we knew WHAT to do and be there early, so we could get a few photos of the buffet!
Not as lucky as the previous day, we did not score a parking space in walking distance and so we rode the tram to the Ticket and Transportation Center and then hopped on the Monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. This time we met with Mary Ellen and her family for the party.
First up were her daughter Kristy and her new fiance Sean.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0064.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0063.jpg

Here they are showing their engagement ring!

They arrived far later than we did, so had to join the end of the line while Tom and I were about the 5th people to enter the Party location. Again we were seated front row but before we did anything else we headed to the buffet to take some photos! So, here goes:

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0065.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0066.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0067.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0068.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3079.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3080.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3081.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3082.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3083.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3084.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3085.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3086.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3087.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3088.jpg

So, what do you say? Incredible array - isn't it?

Here are our plates!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0073a.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0074a.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0075a.jpg

And our friends ............

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0080.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0083.jpg

Yes, Vinny and Susan got into the right mood! :lmao:

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3094.jpg

And here are all of us - or nearly all of us - Joe was taking the photo!

And here is another photo of the castle!

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/DSC_0077.jpg

Can you tell we enjoyed our evening?

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k429/tinkerbellat/pixie%20dust/UO%20and%20WDW/day%2014/IMG_3138.jpg

Next up - lunch at Olive Garden

[dizneeat]

popcorn::

Party food is served! ;)

In Belgium, on the French boarder.
Loved it.:cloud9:

We LOVE Belgium! Lucky you to be able to live there! :goodvibes