Bringing Mom to WDW for MY bday, Sept '09! Day 4 Part 1..AK and Tusker House 12/30!

Hey everyone! I'm back for another update!

But before I start...quick Disney update NOT related to this TR! My dad and I have been dying to see a shuttle launch before they retire the fleet in 2010. So we just booked a quick trip down to Florida for the Nov 16th launch. Cross your fingers that the launch doesn't get scrubbed!!! And since we'll be down in Florida... dad wanted to stay at..... AKL....woohoo! We got a pretty sweet discount with my AP rate so we figured why not? Never stayed there and I even convinced him and Stepmom to try Jiko. Should be interesting b/c they are NOT adventurous eaters. If the shuttle goes up on time, we'll have 2 full days and 1 half day in the parks....plus a full day at Kennedy Space Center. If the launch gets delayed to the next day... how much time we'll have depends on if we actually get all the way out to KSC before they decide to scrub it. I'll probably just throw that mini trip report and stuff into my January trip report so keep an eye out....eventually. Who knows if I'll ever make it over to that PTR to actually update it anytime soon.

But anyways....

So after our yummy Pooh-less breakfast at Crystal Palace, I wanted to head to Fantasyland and knock out as many of the big rides as possible before the masses showed up. It was a little after 9am when we left. CP check-in was a MADHOUSE. Glad we got the 8am slot!

On our way to Fantasyland...



We also ran into the Fairy Godmother but the line was already too long so we decided to skip her. Sadly that was the trend all week. We always caught most of the characters after the lines to see them were crazy long. We met SO many more characters on our last trip!

The first ride we did was Snow White, with no line whatsoever, which we haven't done in YEARS! The past few trips I've kinda skipped most of Fantasyland just due to the lines.



It was cute to see again. After that we jumped over to Peter Pan, which stated that there was a 10 minute wait but I highly doubt that's how long we waited for it.

Tweet Update, 9:21 AM Sep 27th: Just met @Ekkirt at cp..always nice to put a face with a name =) on line for peter pan now!

I tried to get some photos in here but the black light and the darkness just wasn't agreeing with my camera.




I think this is definitely one of the cutest rides in Fantasyland..just don't understand how the line is always SO long! It's nuts!

Up next? Small World! Mom LOVES this ride. She thinks is the cutest thing ever. But umm...can someone tell us which dolls are supposed to be from Greece? I swear they used to be there but...I couldn't find them this time.







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Ok I think that's enough SW photos for today.... hope you guys didn't start singing the song! Between Small World, Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, and the Celebrate Today song... I was trying to think of ANY way to force a new song into my brain!

By the time we finished up SW, there were decent lines forming in Fantasyland so we high tailed it out of there towards Liberty Square. Saw the line for Haunted Mansion said 10 mins but it looked much shorter so we jumped on line. After only waiting for one other group to go into the stretching room before us, we were inside.

Is this room actually stretching...?



They might be 'dusty' but I totally want these in my house...









After getting out of HM, it was time to rest the feet for a bit. What better place than the Hall of Presidents? I was excited to see the new version with Obama. I enjoyed the new show and think they did a great job with the additions and changes. I don't think Obama looks 100% like himself but...then again I was looking at both George Bush's in HOP and they look kinda funny too.

Tweet Update, 10:43 AM Sep 27th: Since when is there no photos allowed at all in hop?

We were sitting in the very front row and I had my camera in my hand getting ready to take photos when the CM announced that there were NO photos allowed. I swear he was looking straight at me. ***?! I was kinda pissed. I had NEVER heard of such a thing! I later found out in the week that this CM was probably just having a crappy day because the other CM that spoke the 2nd time said no flash photography and was totally cool with normal photos sans flash. Go figure.

Wandered a few stores afterwards in Liberty Square as we walked towards Frontierland.

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Ok, I'm getting sleepy so I'm going to end here for now. :)
 
We were sitting in the very front row and I had my camera in my hand getting ready to take photos when the CM announced that there were NO photos allowed. I swear he was looking straight at me. ***?! I was kinda pissed. I had NEVER heard of such a thing! I later found out in the week that this CM was probably just having a crappy day because the other CM that spoke the 2nd time said no flash photography and was totally cool with normal photos sans flash. Go figure.

I had a crappy CM tell me at Soarin' "I'm gonna let you keep your camera out, but you better not take any pictures" in a ridiculous tone. I was holding the camera because I wasn't going to trust the net underneath to hold it for me; I had no intentions of taking pictures in the first place. At that point, I thought "she would never know if I took a picture or not". Still didn't take any though; how boring would those pictures be? Oh look, the screen.

This was the only real incident I had as far as photography went my entire week, though. Most of the CMs seem to realize that it's the flashes that cause problems, not the cameras themselves.
 
That picture of the castle is beautiful!

I never understand why there's such a huge line for Peter Pan all the time. The other dark rides could be 15 minutes and Peter Pan is like 50 minutes. It's the same thing. What gives? Because it looks like you're flying? Is that why it's more popular? :confused3

I love HM! That part with the bride creeps me out though. So do the doors!
 
I love all the pics they are all great! I really liked the new Hall of Presidents too! I think they did a great with it :thumbsup2
 


Hey everyone! I'm back for another update!

But before I start...quick Disney update NOT related to this TR! My dad and I have been dying to see a shuttle launch before they retire the fleet in 2010. So we just booked a quick trip down to Florida for the Nov 16th launch. Cross your fingers that the launch doesn't get scrubbed!!! And since we'll be down in Florida... dad wanted to stay at..... AKL....woohoo!



R and I will be at AKL that week!!! We'll have to accidentally run into each other!
 
We had the same experience at CP, NO Pooh. I love your pictures they are so sharp and clear. What type of camera do you have and what settings do you use?
 
I love your pix. I know people have asked..but what kind of camera do you use? Did you take photography classes or just pick it up
 


Very nice, indeed!

With your tweets, it's like reliving the trip! :thumbsup2

I can't wait to see HOP as well; I don't think I've ever been. Loved the pictures from Haunted Mansion. I like that ride alot, but my littl 'ol camera will have nothing to do with it.

FYI...pumpkin menu only at BlvdFive72! :banana:
 
I had a crappy CM tell me at Soarin' "I'm gonna let you keep your camera out, but you better not take any pictures" in a ridiculous tone. I was holding the camera because I wasn't going to trust the net underneath to hold it for me; I had no intentions of taking pictures in the first place. At that point, I thought "she would never know if I took a picture or not". Still didn't take any though; how boring would those pictures be? Oh look, the screen.

This was the only real incident I had as far as photography went my entire week, though. Most of the CMs seem to realize that it's the flashes that cause problems, not the cameras themselves.

Ugh...I really think some CM's take their power a little too seriously. Does she really think good photos could be taken on Soarin? Lucky the HOP incident was my only one as well. :)

That picture of the castle is beautiful!

I never understand why there's such a huge line for Peter Pan all the time. The other dark rides could be 15 minutes and Peter Pan is like 50 minutes. It's the same thing. What gives? Because it looks like you're flying? Is that why it's more popular? :confused3

I love HM! That part with the bride creeps me out though. So do the doors!

I think the Peter Pan line will always be a mystery to me. And Pooh!

Aww... I LOVE the part with the bride on HM. I think they did an awesome job with all the updates :)

I love all the pics they are all great! I really liked the new Hall of Presidents too! I think they did a great with it :thumbsup2

I remember when HOP used to bore me to death. It was my attraction that I could catch some extra zzzz's!

R and I will be at AKL that week!!! We'll have to accidentally run into each other!

Ohhhhh! YES! We'll definitely have to 'accidentally' run into each other. We'll have to keep each other updated!

We had the same experience at CP, NO Pooh. I love your pictures they are so sharp and clear. What type of camera do you have and what settings do you use?

I still love that Dallas was considerate and said you guys can skip Pooh! I'll answer the camera question during Jordan's response below... :)

I love your pix. I know people have asked..but what kind of camera do you use? Did you take photography classes or just pick it up

I use a Canon Rebel Xti. I have a few lenses that I use with it but all the dark rides I used a 50mm f/1.4. During the day I used a 17-55mm f/2.8. And for the closeups of the parade I used a 70-300mm f/4. If anyone wants to know the actual settings I took each shot at... you can click on the photo and it'll bring you to the Flickr page. Then on the bottom right you can click on 'more properties' and it should bring you to the detail of the settings used. I tried to shoot a lot in manual mode and tweak the settings as I go but I'm still learning so it was tedious.

I've been learning on my own by trial and error. Still a lot I still have to learn though! I've been debating taking classes but haven't yet!

Very nice, indeed!

With your tweets, it's like reliving the trip! :thumbsup2

I can't wait to see HOP as well; I don't think I've ever been. Loved the pictures from Haunted Mansion. I like that ride alot, but my littl 'ol camera will have nothing to do with it.

FYI...pumpkin menu only at BlvdFive72! :banana:

MMMMMMM Went to look at their site and it looks amazing! I think it's gonna be too far away though :(
 
Alrighty...lets continue on with Day 2!!

We had just finished up with Liberty Square and we heading towards Frontierland... on our way to Country Bear Jamboree we saw the street show they were having with Brer Fox and Bear...



CBJ was FREEZING in the waiting room so we hung around outside for a bit until the show was about to start.

Country Bears is one of those attractions that I love for sentimental reasons. They seriously need to update it though! Gotta love Big Al no matter how outdated he is...

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Since mom wasn't about to to Thunder and Splash... we meandered over to Adventureland. At this point we were getting kinda tired so we decided to just do Pirates and then make our way to lunch at Tony's to relax for a bit. Hoping they'd take us early.

Before heading into Pirates though we ran into this crazy fellow...



It was pretty crowded though so we didn't watch for long...went right into Pirates and there was MAYBE a 5-8 minute wait. Time for one of my favorite rides!





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Headed towards Main Street and had a nice little talk with this awesome CM..

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The Main Street trolley parade was going on again so of course we had to stop to catch a few minutes. We saw this couple every time we saw the parade..

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Finally we made it to Tony's! We were about a half hour early and when I tried to check in, the CM pretty much told me she isn't going to check me in and that I have to come give our name again in 20 mins. Hmph! NOT off to a good start guys! I was already iffy about eating here since we only had so-so experiences in the past. Oh well. So mom sat in the waiting area and I just wandered the store for a little bit. We were trying to find a cool picture frame and photo album and we found them there. Didn't want to buy them yet though so I just made a mental note. Then it hit me! I NEVER picked up my birthday fun card!! EEK! I went over to mom and told her I'd be right back and headed out to Guest Realations. It was a quick transaction and in minutes I had $79 to spend however my heart desired.

By the time I got back to Tony's it was time to check in for real this time. We went into the waiting area and had a seat and only waited a few minutes for our name to be called. We were sat all the way in the back in a comfy booth kinda by the kitchen. It wasn't a problem though because we were out of everyone's way and it was crowded in there!

We did get more confetti...


Now I was seriously pretty full from breakfast and made a promise to myself that I wouldn't make myself sick by forcing food. But I WAS going to try things!

Our waitress came out and was pretty friendly. She made some suggestions about what she liked and took our drink orders. I think it was water for me and soda for mom.

Now onto the food!

We decided to try something that was new on the menu... Breaded Zucchini Sticks. I forgot to write down the price of these but I'm thinking they were around $7.99. They were pretty decent! Not too greasy and were nice and crunchy yet the zucchini was soft inside. The marinara sauce tasted better than what I remember at Tony's so not sure if they changed it slightly? I tried a few pieces and mom ate the rest. She really enjoyed it (are you sensing a trend?).

Sorry...we ate a few before taking the pic..



I decided on the Insalata Alla Caprese...on allears it's called...Tomato and Mozzarella Salad - Tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella, and Red Onions tossed with Roasted Garlic, Shallots, and Balsamic Dressing $8.69

Now I think the description on allears is slightly different than what we had. The description sounds like what I had a few years back... tiny mozz balls tossed with grape tomatoes and dressing. What we were served today was a million times better! This was a large piece of mozz cut into slices with a large ripe tomato...all drizzled with oil and balsamic glaze, topped with sliced raw onions and served with large garlic croutons/bread.



This was also tasty and good. The mozz was pretty fresh and the tomatoes were definitely ripe. They went well with the balsamic glaze. I was pleasantly surprised with it. Sadly I could only have a piece or piece and a half of both tomato and mozz. Mom tried it too and enjoyed.

I think that's when I sent this Tweet...

Tweet Update, 1:17 PM Sep 27th: I think deluxe dining is already defeating us. At tonys and I'm dreading dinner lol

For entrees mom chose the Eggplant Catasta (Stack) - Layers of Eggplant, Caramelized Onions, Fresh Mozzarella, and Parmesan with Marinara Sauce over penne pasta $14.99

To me this looked like some kind of version of eggplant parmesan... I don't really think their fresh mozz was the same that they had on the appetizer. This was definitely grated mozz that you get from a bag it seemed. And didnt see any caramelized onions but that's ok because mom isn't a huge fan of them. And umm... where's the sauce on the pasta?



Turns out the sauce was hiding under everything. Mom said if she was going to have more pasta, she would have asked for more sauce but she mainly ate just the eggplant. She said it wasn't mushy like sometimes fried eggplant can get and said she'd get it again.

I was really indecisive on my entree. I didn't want a sandwich, or a ceasar salad, or a full pasta dish. I was FULL already!! So against my better judgment, I listened to the waitress and ordered the Chicken Parmigiana - Lightly breaded Chicken Breast with Marinara Sauce, melted Mozzarella over Spaghetti $16.99.

Figured I could just eat the chicken and not the pasta. Last time I had the chicken parm though, it was sub par and NOT that great at all. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

Now I know the photo doesn't look too appetizing but here it is.. (I was too lazy to change lenses or push the plate further away..sorry!)



How was it? I was pleasantly surprised again! The sauce wasn't runny like last time...the same marinara from the zucchini sticks. The chicken was well seasoned and moist. The pasta I honestly don't remember too much about. It wasn't mushy though, that I would remember! After a few bites though, I was ridiculously full.

Dessert time...really? MORE food?

Mom chose the Spumoni - layers of ice cream with pistachio nuts and cherries $4.99



It was typical spumoni...the ice cream wasn't anything AMAZING but mom enjoyed it. She ate all the pistachio and chocolate and left the vanilla.

I was going to pass on dessert until I heard the dessert of the day...Chef's Signature Cheesecake - $5.49 and it was.....Pumpkin Cheesecake!!!!! I LOVE anything pumpkin and this got me excited. I also ordered a coffee. I asked before ordering and the waitress said that the coffee is fresh brewed. Nice! Yet another surprise because last trip there it was still that gross Nescafe stuff.



This was... delicious! I actually barely ate the crust on the bottom but that was also very good. I just really wanted to savor the cheesecake part. Not too overpowering on the spices and just sweet enough. I could have this dessert every day. MMMMMM!!

Oh...we also got a bottle of Evian included with the dining plan. After we agreed to it I realized that this is just the server's ploy all around Disney to get more tip money. No one really NEEDS the bottle of Evian but..it's an extra dollar tip for them, right? I noticed servers all around us throughout the whole week pushing the bottles of water and bottles of juices. Smart move on their part...but we fell for it a few times. Oh well.

I didn't write down the final total, but I know it was about $70 by looking at the tip we gave.

We were pleasantly surprised with Tony's this time around. It still isn't real authentic Italian food but it's finally starting to compete with the Olive Garden's and Macaroni Grill's of the world. We'd definitely eat here again...but sadly only because we're not that blown away by any other TS in the MK either. This is the best of the bunch that we've found.

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Tweet Update, 2:25 PM Sep 27th:
Ok survived tonys and didnt explode. Must have self control and only have a few bites of each thing unless its amazing. Heading back to pofq

Tweet Update, 2:28 PM Sep 27th: Oh and pumpkin cheesecake at tonys fell into the awesome category lol

After lunch we decided to head back to the room for a little bit and relax.
 
We were pleasantly surprised with Tony's this time around. It still isn't real authentic Italian food but it's finally starting to compete with the Olive Garden's and Macaroni Grill's of the world. We'd definitely eat here again...but sadly only because we're not that blown away by any other TS in the MK either. This is the best of the bunch that we've found.

It's reviews like this that made me decide not to eat at Tony's and go to Mama Melrose instead. Yes, there were mixed reviews about Mama Melrose also, but I found the reviews about Tony's consistently underwhelming.

Loving the photos; the Big Al one is great. Country Bear Jamboree is one of those ones we never seem to get to.
 
Okay seriously awesome pics!!! What camera do you use, and what lens??? I want awesome pics inside Pirates and HM.
 
I love the POTC pics! And :yay: for getting the birthday gift card! Nothing better than getting something for free!
 
It's reviews like this that made me decide not to eat at Tony's and go to Mama Melrose instead. Yes, there were mixed reviews about Mama Melrose also, but I found the reviews about Tony's consistently underwhelming.

Loving the photos; the Big Al one is great. Country Bear Jamboree is one of those ones we never seem to get to.

To me Tony's and Mama are a tossup. Two years ago Tony's was better than Mama's when we ate at both. Still not good but Tony's barely won that fight. This year I was pleasantly surprised by Tony's. Definitely better than the last time I ate there. I'm not a huge fan of Macaroni Grill/Olive Garden and I know some people love it. I've heard Mama's has gotten better since our last trip too so one day I'll have to try it again!

Okay seriously awesome pics!!! What camera do you use, and what lens??? I want awesome pics inside Pirates and HM.

Thanks Lynn!

I use a Canon Rebel Xti. I have a few lenses that I use with it but all the dark rides I used a 50mm f/1.4. During the day I used a 17-55mm f/2.8. And for the closeups of the parade I used a 70-300mm f/4. If anyone wants to know the actual settings I took each shot at... you can click on the photo and it'll bring you to the Flickr page. Then on the bottom right you can click on 'more properties' and it should bring you to the detail of the settings used. I tried to shoot a lot in manual mode and tweak the settings as I go but I'm still learning so it was tedious.

I've been learning on my own by trial and error. Still a lot I still have to learn though! I've been debating taking classes but haven't yet!


I love the POTC pics! And :yay: for getting the birthday gift card! Nothing better than getting something for free!

Thanks Dawn! The bday fun card bought us a LOT of stuff! :)
 
Another great update and perfect pictures :thumbsup2. I have thought about taking a class in photography too, but my schedule wouldn't allow unless they were on Monday. I really need to invest in a better camera. Mine is OK, but it doesn't take good night pictures no matter what settings I use.
 
To me Tony's and Mama are a tossup. Two years ago Tony's was better than Mama's when we ate at both. Still not good but Tony's barely won that fight. This year I was pleasantly surprised by Tony's. Definitely better than the last time I ate there. I'm not a huge fan of Macaroni Grill/Olive Garden and I know some people love it. I've heard Mama's has gotten better since our last trip too so one day I'll have to try it again!

I can do Macaroni Grill, but I can't stand Olive Garden. Everything there just seems like they put it in the microwave. To me, a frozen Stouffer's lasagna tastes better. My grandmother is 100% Italian though, so I guess I'm a bit of an Italian food snob.
 
Jack Sparrow! :love: Did you see the beach towels they had of him in the stores? My bf was like do you really want a towel with a giant picture of his face on it? Um, yes, yes I do! I will be picking that up on my next trip! :thumbsup2

Great pictures! I've never tried Tony's. I've never been to any TS in MK now that I think of it...
 
Oh, yum! Your meal looks really good!! I went to Tony's a few years ago, and wasn't unhappy, but not impressed either. But we might have to give it another try :thumbsup2 Oh--and your castle picture was gorgeous on your last post! Oh--and one more thing :) ...do you remember your settings for your camera for the dark rides? Your pics turned out so much clearer than mine did! :thumbsup2
 
Another great update and perfect pictures :thumbsup2. I have thought about taking a class in photography too, but my schedule wouldn't allow unless they were on Monday. I really need to invest in a better camera. Mine is OK, but it doesn't take good night pictures no matter what settings I use.

Have you tried looking at a community college for photo classes? I know the ones by me offer them for a decent price. Also there's a few camera stores that also offer classes. I still have to look into them!

I can do Macaroni Grill, but I can't stand Olive Garden. Everything there just seems like they put it in the microwave. To me, a frozen Stouffer's lasagna tastes better. My grandmother is 100% Italian though, so I guess I'm a bit of an Italian food snob.

I really think it IS all microwaved! When I worked at Friday's half the stuff was too! I'm a complete Italian food snob... and proud of it :) The mention of Olive Garden/Macaroni Grill causes my family to pray and cross themselves. hahaha

Jack Sparrow! :love: Did you see the beach towels they had of him in the stores? My bf was like do you really want a towel with a giant picture of his face on it? Um, yes, yes I do! I will be picking that up on my next trip! :thumbsup2

Great pictures! I've never tried Tony's. I've never been to any TS in MK now that I think of it...

OMG NO...I didn't see the towels!! I'll have to look next time! Definitely try some TS in MK... some people LOVE them! I just ehhh...don't LOVE them.

Oh, yum! Your meal looks really good!! I went to Tony's a few years ago, and wasn't unhappy, but not impressed either. But we might have to give it another try :thumbsup2 Oh--and your castle picture was gorgeous on your last post! Oh--and one more thing :) ...do you remember your settings for your camera for the dark rides? Your pics turned out so much clearer than mine did! :thumbsup2

Thank you! For most of my dark ride shots I took Scott's advice... I put the camera at ISO 800 or 1600, set the camera on Shutter Priority, set it at 1/50 shutter, and let the camera choose the rest.
 
So last update mom and I headed back to the room to rest and relax. Before we got in the room we were greeted by this cute little guy.

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Lucky for me, the lizards don't freak me out. They were EVERYWHERE around POFQ. So adorable. :)

At about 4:30 or 5pm we headed back out to get to the Poly. Jumped on a bus and then a monorail and were in the hotel really early. My friend Sarah, who lives in Florida, along with her friends Holly and Mike were in the World for the weekend and we all planned to have dinner together. I texted her saying we were on our way and she said they were just finishing up playing some mini golf and would head over too.

We planned it this way though because we wanted to stop by the Wyland Gallery to look for jewelry. When mom and I came two years ago, mom bought me my Christmas gift there. I LOVE plumeria flowers and there was a beautiful sterling silver necklace that she bought me. Which reminds me, I need to get it cleaned!

Anyways...since it was my bday, mom wanted to get me something again. We went in and looked at all the jewelry and again, I really liked a starfish necklace and pair of earrings. I decided to hold off and wait a bit and we wandered the store drooling over all the paintings and sculptures. I wish I could decorate my house in half of this stuff...amazing! So finally I decided that I really did want the necklace and earrings so mom bought it for me. :) You'll see me wearing them in all the photos from here on out. So pretty!

It was still a little early so we wandered through all the other stores and sat and watched the waterfall for a bit. Finally headed upstairs around 6:10pm (for our 6:35pm ADR) to check in. We were given a pager and told to wait. Sarah said that they were heading towards the monorail. They all showed up and it was really great to see them! They're all so much fun and were great company during dinner. We had a ton of catching up to do. :)

Ok so this is where the update might get short. Why, you ask? Cause it's the Kona dinner update. The Kona dinner that I was SO looking forward to. The Kona dinner that I assumed would be JUST like the AMAZING Kona dinner we had two years ago.

Umm...it wasn't. It was by far the worst meal of the trip. The food itself was decent and of course I loved having dinner with Sarah and gang, but everything else put SUCH a damper on it that I just wanted to get the heck out of there and go back to the room.

And? No photos :( Sorry guys. The little annoyances started before we even sat down so by the time we DID sit down, I was in NO mood to take out the camera.

So when Sarah got off the monorail, it was our ADR time...6:30ish. It was REALLLLYYYYY crowded up there though so I knew it might take slightly longer. I also just assumed that the crowd was up there for Ohana. I thought wrong. By 6:45pm we still hadn't called up so I went to go check. The CM was pretty nice...and actually went to go check with other CMs to see why we weren't sat yet. He came back and said it should be a few more mins. I ask exactly how long and he says fifteen. Hm....OK. Whatever. I understand how restaurants can get behind so I let it go. About 20 mins later we finally were seated.

Our waitress was decent in the beginning. Then I'm not sure if she got frazzled or just gave up but we lost her for LONG periods of time. A few times she was sitting in a booth talking to other guests. But would sit in that booth for ten minutes at a time. If the restaurant wasn't crowded, go right ahead and shmooze. But this place was PACKED. Every table was seated and all her tables wanted something. She just didn't seem to care.

We explained to her that my mom and I were on the DxDP and Sarah and the gang would be using TIW. She seemed OK with it so we started to order. The macadamia nut bread was brought to the table and everyone attacked, except me. :(

I was REALLY NOT that hungry. Since the waiting debacle, I was starting to get nervous. I knew my mom was already tired and she was showing it. The standing around and waiting only made it worse. She wanted to be home by 8pm-ish so she can wash and do her hair for tomorrow and it was already 7pm. We weren't making that deadline! And the way it was going, we were going to be REALLLY late.

Since I wasn't hungry I offered my appetizer to Sarah and the gang. They decided on the Pot Stickers - wok-seared duck dumplings with creamy ginger soy sauce $7.49.

Mom chose the Kona Salad - Mixed greens, Maytag blue cheese, fresh fruit, red onions, and smoked almonds with a citrus vinaigrette $7.99.

Mom took one bite of her salad and hated it. :( She didn't like the mixed greens at all. So we offered the salad to the gang and they finished it off. The pot stickers were decent...but slightly dry as if they'd been sitting out for a while. Also smaller than what I remembered. The flavor wasn't as good either. Kinda disappointed. I only had half of one and the gang finished the rest.

For entrees, mom chose the Shrimp and Scallops - panko breaded shrimp and pan-seared scallops with sticky rice and ponzu, spicy guava-passion fruit and wasabi cream sauces $20.99

But she asked for all shrimp and all the sauces on the side and they gladly obliged. We asked for lemons to squeeze on the shrimp when the CM's brought the food. And we waited....and waited.. and no lemons. We saw the CM we asked running around bringing out more food, and no lemons. Looked for our server and thats when we saw her in the booth. Finally the CM we asked came running over and finally brought the lemon, but it was honestly 10 mins later. Mom enjoyed the shrimp after that though, thankfully. The shrimp were smaller than last meal but there were definitely more of them.

I ordered the Pomegranate Barbecued Pork Chop served on pan-roasted fingerling potatoes and applewood smoked bacon braised Swiss chard $21.99

This was actually pretty good! The chop was cooked perfectly and was still moist. However I didn't taste ANY pomegranate bbq? the potatoes were also pretty good and well seasoned. Sadly though I only had 5 bites. I honestly just couldn't eat any more.

Oh...Holly had the Coconut Almond Chicken and said it was OK, nothing great. Sarah had the Pan Asian Noodles with Shrimp and said it was good, typical lo mein.

So now time for dessert! EEK! I was sooo full and hurried but I didn't want to rush anyone else. So I made them pick two desserts. We chose the Kilauea Torte a la mode $7.28 and the Chocolate Fondue $6.99. Mom doesn't like vanilla ice cream all that much so I asked for chocolate for the kilauea torte. Now... you would have thought I told her that I wanted anchovies on it. She looked at me like I was crazy...rolled her eyes... and said 'You do realize that's going to be a lot of chocolate?! It's MUCH better with vanilla' I'm pretty sure I spat something back and then realized I should get both flavors and she rolled her eyes AGAIN and said 'fine but I have to charge you for the other flavor'. I never said I didn't want to pay for it. So I told her OK and to put it on MY bill. Off she went...

Another ten minute wait and the desserts finally arrived. The kilauea torte was good. Nice, warm, ooey, and gooey. Just how it's supposed to be. It was good with the vanilla. Mom decided she didn't want any and all she wanted was her chocolate ice cream so she ate that. :) The chocolate fondue was also pretty good. If I remember right though, the fondue was kinda like Hershey's syrup? I know it came with strawberries... and I honestly can NOT think of what else. Sorry guys.

We had asked for our checks before and I gave her my card and then Sarah gave her the TIW card to split everything up. My bill came right back. Sarah's on the other hand? We have NO idea what happened. We saw our server walk back and forth a million times, with the bill in her hand and just NEVER came by. She also gave Sarah a huge attitude because Sarah didn't tell her prior about TIW....which is a lie. Then to make it worse, poor Sarah just wanted the bill split onto 3 cards... and the lady pretty much flipped out and was horrible. Again...another ten mins of watching her wander the restaurant holding all 3 credit card slips. UGH!

Oh! To make it even worse? She put the ice cream on Sarah's bill and flat out said 'Well since you paid for their appetizers and desserts, I put the ice cream on their bill' Umm...??? I told her to put it on MINE. It wasn't about who paid for more food. We were all taken aback but considering how long it took already, we just gave up.

So if you haven't picked up... Kona was a bust. The food was decent (not as good as last time though) but the server totally put a damper on EVERYTHING. And I SO wanted to enjoy my real bday dinner! I was so disappointed. I felt bad for dragging everyone there so that made it worse. Would I eat there again? Probably...but definitely not during free dining or a busy time. They just can NOT handle the crowds for some reason. :( And the service was horrendous. Last time it was the BEST service of the trip. I have no idea how it can be SUCH a difference. :confused3

The Breakdown:
Coke: $2.69
Diet Coke: $2.69
Pot Stickers: $7.49
Kona Salad: $7.99
Shrimp Scallops: $20.99
Pork Chops: $21.99
Chocolate Fondue: $6.99
Kilauhea Torte a la Mode: $7.28
Total before tip: $83.19
DDP Credits Used: 2
OOP: Just tip

By the time it was all said and done... it was past 8:45pm. I was SO annoyed. My mom was EXHAUSTED. I felt bad but had to say a quick goodbye to Sarah and the gang and head back to POFQ. We decided to cab it instead of go to the MK and then bus it back b/c it would have taken FOREVER!

Headed out to the front and the bellhop waived a cab down for us. Luckily it only took a few mins and $20 later, we were back in the room.

Tweet Update, 9:45 PM Sep 27th: Back in the room after a decent meal at Kona but the server sucked! =( totally dampered and lengthened the meal so we cabbed it to pofq
 

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