(Insert Witty Dining Review Title Here) June 17-24 (updated 8/5)

[jecskc]

Breakfast this morning was at Tusker House. We check in for our 8:20 AM breakfast ressie.

More pictures before breakfast.

Tusker House is a character Breakfast. Mickey, Goofy, Donald and Daisy in their safari gear. As is typical of a Character meal, it is a buffet. We sit down, meet our waitress, Tammie, who is very friendly and gives us some juice which is very yummy.

Jungle juice they call it. I am not really a juice person because it contains too much acid. And since I had my gall bladder removed several years ago, I just can’t take too much citric acid for some reason. But this juice was very yummy and smooth and didn’t cause too much of a problem.

Here are some indoor pics

This was a really chaotic meal so apologize in advance for not getting some real good buffet photos.

My plate

Clockwise – biscuit, potatoes, bacon, bobootie, eggs and Mickey waffles. I ate everything but the bobootie which I gave to DH and he seemed to like it.

DD and her Mickey Waffle

I have to say that I feel that this was our worst meal of the trip. And saying that, everything was just OK. We ate, it was breakfast food. It was warm and filling. Just OK. Whereas everything else we had was just better. This wasn’t bad, it just was the bottom choice out of an otherwise spectacular week.

And we were here for the characters anyway.

So pretty quickly the characters show up. I like the characters. They make me happy.

Mickey

DH jumping in on the action again.

Daisy

Next up was Goofy. Here is DS’s impression of Goofy. The tater tots are his teeth.

So the characters were fun, but we will be trying out Chef Mickey’s or Cape May Cafe for breakfast next time. Or going back to Crystal Palace again, which I loved.

Also, the restaurant is LOUD, so if you think you will have a nice quiet breakfast buffet … you won’t.

I was so glad we had an early reservation for Tusker House. As we were leaving, there was this HUGE line to check in. There were people everywhere. I am glad we tried it, but we will try something new next time.

 

[jecskc]

On this day, AK is PACKED. We had our fast pass groove going on and we did everything and only waited 15 minutes and that was in the FAST PASS line for Kali. It was hot and we were thirsty so we stopped and got some frozen cokes.

DS got a blue raspberry one

DH found us this cool little hut to sit down and enjoy our drinks.

I have to say, on a hot day, there is nothing like these frozen slushie drinks. They are so refreshing and yummy. And they are a snack credit. And even if you aren't on the DDP, they are a good value when it is super hot outside.

 

[02AggieGirl]

Tusker House breakfast looks fun!! I like the safari outfits for the characters! We've done the lunch there which we really enjoyed.

Do you happen to remember where your fun little hut was located? My girls would love that!

 

[jecskc]

Tusker House breakfast looks fun!! I like the safari outfits for the characters! We've done the lunch there which we really enjoyed.

Do you happen to remember where your fun little hut was located? My girls would love that!

right where the number 21 is. Off to the right after you cross the bridge. The little frozen coke place is right there and the hut is sort of behind it. It looks out over the water. It was cool

 

[newmommy_2010]

Love your reviews so far! I am already thinking about ADR's for our Oct 2012 trip. Can't wait to hear more! BTW the frozen cokes look really yummy especially with it being 105 here in Kentucky for the 10th day in a row!

 

[jecskc]

Love your reviews so far! I am already thinking about ADR's for our Oct 2012 trip. Can't wait to hear more! BTW the frozen cokes look really yummy especially with it being 105 here in Kentucky for the 10th day in a row!

I know what you mean. We are in South Carolina and it has been over 100 for DAYS. we usually don't get 100 degree days until late July early August. But it started EARLY this year and by the beginning of June, we were already hitting the 100 degree days. Yesterday, we had a "cold front" where it was 92 with a heat index of 101. And that is because it rained. We really needed that rain. I really do hate this part of summer. I am ready for Fall now, please !! And the Food and Wine Festival !!

We really loved the DDp and we can't wait to do it again over Thanksgiving. I already have all of our ADR's set for that. I am super excited !! I was even tempted to upgrade to Deluxe, but the regular DDP seemed like it was too much food, so I decided to save the money. I guess we will just have to plan another trip, so we can eat at more Disney restaurants .... right ?? I love that place !!

PS - my boss is from Kentucky. He graduated from UK and loves him some UK basketball.

 

[dznyacct]

So I guess Introductions are in order. On this trip, my DH, DS11, DD8 and myself stayed at Old Key West Resort form June 17-24. Hop on over to my TR if you would like to see photos of the resort. I have A LOT. It was a wonderful place to stay and we would go back in a minute.

Even though VWL is our home resort and we really like staying there, we LOVE OKW . The rooms are HUGE. We have stayed in an OKW 2 BR unit twice with 6 adults and 2 kids and never felt cramped. I'm looking forward to another stay there next May .

 

[jecskc]

Even though VWL is our home resort and we really like staying there, we LOVE OKW . The rooms are HUGE. We have stayed in an OKW 2 BR unit twice with 6 adults and 2 kids and never felt cramped. I'm looking forward to another stay there next May .

We just love OKW !! I can't wait to stay at all of the other resorts, but I would be just as happy staying at OKW again. It really is a lovely resort and we did have plenty of space in our 1 BR unit !!

 

[jecskc]

Our plans for dinner were to eat at Wolfgang Puck’s Express. We debated taking the boat to Downtown Disney but since there always seemed to be a stray thunderstorm and Disney not only closes the pool every time they hear a rumble, they stop running the boats as well. So since we had a car … we just drove. And I was surprised to see just how close this resort is to DTD.

Not far at all.

Before we went to dinner, DH went to the LaNouba box office to get our tickets for the following evening. If you have an annual pass, you get 30% off the tickets. Last October, DH was able to take his older daughter to see it at 50% for Category 2 seating. So I think the discount depends upon the season and whether it is busy or not.

We found WPE

And ordered. The cashier was not friendly at all. So not good for business.

I got DD a kid’s cheese pizza and a cookie

She isn’t pouting because of the pizza. Her new look was the pouty face.

She ate it all. Every last bit.

DS ordered a Margherita pizza and a brownie

He picked off the basil and tomatoes, but he liked it.

DH and I shared the Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza and Key Lime pie.

This was really good. We ate what was left of DS’s pizza as well. I loved the food here. The pizzas have a lot of flavor and I love the crispy thin crust that they have. The desserts were very good as well. So even though the service leaves much to be desired, we would definitely try this again.

This was only 3 CS credits and we left FULL. A good value, I think.

 

[newmommy_2010]

I know what you mean. We are in South Carolina and it has been over 100 for DAYS. we usually don't get 100 degree days until late July early August. But it started EARLY this year and by the beginning of June, we were already hitting the 100 degree days. Yesterday, we had a "cold front" where it was 92 with a heat index of 101. And that is because it rained. We really needed that rain. I really do hate this part of summer. I am ready for Fall now, please !! And the Food and Wine Festival !!

We really loved the DDp and we can't wait to do it again over Thanksgiving. I already have all of our ADR's set for that. I am super excited !! I was even tempted to upgrade to Deluxe, but the regular DDP seemed like it was too much food, so I decided to save the money. I guess we will just have to plan another trip, so we can eat at more Disney restaurants .... right ?? I love that place !!

PS - my boss is from Kentucky. He graduated from UK and loves him some UK basketball.

Fall is my favorite time of year! It has only rained once here in what seems like months! We need it bad!!!
My whole family is UK Basketball FANatics!!! We love watching games!
What ADR's are you doing this next trip?

 

[jecskc]

Fall is my favorite time of year! It has only rained once here in what seems like months! We need it bad!!!
My whole family is UK Basketball FANatics!!! We love watching games!
What ADR's are you doing this next trip?

Fall is may favorite, too !! I hope you guys get some rain soon !!

Our next trip is at the end of September. And it is at an off-site resort Silver Lake through RCI. We got that week free when we booked a cruise through RCI. So, as much as I would like to stay at a Disney resort and have the dining plan ... you just can't beat free. So we are just going to have breakfast at our resort (2br full kitchen), eat CS at the parks and either eat in at the resort, or hit some of the many chain restaurants in the area.

But for November .... our Thanksgiving trip ..... our ADR's are:

Captain's Grille
Cape May Cafe
Via Napoli at Epcot
50's Prime Time
Kona Cafe
Crystal Palace.

Soooooo exciting !!

 

[Krissalee]

Thanks for sharing your reviews!

Those frozen treats looked great! I will jump on the theme here, and imagine they would be very refreshing while I was riding out the NJ heat wave over the past week and a half!

 

[jecskc]

Thanks for sharing your reviews!

Those frozen treats looked great! I will jump on the theme here, and imagine they would be very refreshing while I was riding out the NJ heat wave over the past week and a half!

If you are in the parks on a hot day, those frozen drinks are the BEST !!

We haven't had any temps BELOW 90 since May. It has been 90 or above for two solid months and over 100 for about 7 days straight. So I am VERY tired of summer. Three more over 100 days predicted for the upcoming week. It is such a drag .....

 

[bigal'sdaughter]

Wow! Finally finished the trip report! Wonderful! I have to comment your daughter (I think)'s love of Disney popcorn. My DH also LOVES Disney popcorn. He went to WDW a lot as a child and has all of these great memories of hot fresh Disney popcorn.
He has to get some multiple times on our trips - but ONLY if it is super fresh! We even have this cute pic of us and DD on her first trip (2.5 yo) eating her first Disney popcorn!
Think we will go to the pool later... now that the rain in gone the heat is back!!!

 

[jecskc]

Wow! Finally finished the trip report! Wonderful! I have to comment your daughter (I think)'s love of Disney popcorn. My DH also LOVES Disney popcorn. He went to WDW a lot as a child and has all of these great memories of hot fresh Disney popcorn.
He has to get some multiple times on our trips - but ONLY if it is super fresh! We even have this cute pic of us and DD on her first trip (2.5 yo) eating her first Disney popcorn!
Think we will go to the pool later... now that the rain in gone the heat is back!!!

YAY !! I am so glad you like my TR. It was fun to write. I can't wait for another trip, so I can start another one. I'm not saying the popcorn isn't good popcorn, I'm just saying it is just popcorn to me. But I don't begrudge my DD her popcorn at Disney. She can have as much as she wants

For realz. It is sooooo hot here !! 93 ... feels like 101. DH has the kids at the pool while I enjoy some time to myself. I work from 8 to 2, so I just got home a little while ago. I'm ready for summer to be over. Enjoy your pool time !!

You guys are about 5 degrees cooler than us and at least you have an ocean breeze. We got nothin'.

 

[jecskc]

We had a DVC tour this AM, so we grabbed a quick breakfast and went over to Saratoga Springs for our tour. After our DVC tour on that morning, we rushed back to OKW and get our park passes and headed to the Boardwalk where I thought would be the quickest way to get to Le Cellier. I figured we could park at Boardwalk and enter Epcot through the International Gateway and head over to have our lunch. Here is where we grossly underestimated how much time it would take to get there.

Some Boardwalk photos

It was very hot on this day and even though we are used to the heat, the kids were really dragging. We were in this HUGE hurry and we had to stop and wait a couple of times for them to catch up. DD seemed especially tired and we had to urge her along.

When we got to the International Gateway, there were a few people in front of us, but the line wasn’t moving at all. We waited about 10 minutes and there began to be some grumbling near the front of the line about how long it was taking. Finally, another CM came and opened up another turnstile and we got right through. When we left, the same people were still holding up the other turnstile. I don’t know what the problem was.

So we finally arrive at Le Cellier at noon. 30 min. late for our reservation. The hostess said that they were seating walk-ups, so it wouldn’t be a problem at all for us to get in. YAY !! We went down the path to the restaurant and waited in the very cool and dim and soothing reception area. I was wasn’t long before we were seated. Finally ….

DH ordered a Moosehead and the rest of us got cokes/diet cokes.

Our servers name was Courtney and she was very nice and gave a great service. We asked for just pretzel bread and that is what we got.

There were four pieces all together, BTW.
DS and I dug right in, but DD still remained tired and whiny. I know that a part of it was that she was hungry and that if I could just get her to eat something, she would be better. But she was having none of it.

We ordered her the kids pizza for her

Once she got going on this, she really gained momentum and finally ate everything on her plate. Where upon, her mood improved greatly. Thank goodness.

DS got the burger

Le Cellier House Burger - with roasted mushrooms, pancetta, maple barbecue, Black Diamond Cheddar, and crispy onions $14.99

He ordered this plain. Just meat, bun and cheese.

Those fries were awesome !!

DH got the filet

Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon - with wild mushroom risotto, white truffle and herb butter sauce $26.99

You see his hidden Mickey ?? LOL. He said the steak was really good, but like most people who eat here, he remarked that the risotto was a bit salty.

I ordered the Cheddar Cheese soup.

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup - Made with Moosehead Beer and Smoked Bacon Cup $5.49 Bowl $6.99

I thought it was super yummy, but I couldn’t eat it all. I think I would have been more into it on a colder day. This was just kind of heavy on this hot day. Next time, I will order just a cup, I think.

For dessert DD got the Chocolate Moose

She was a little skeptical when she saw it, but once she got going, there wasn’t a crumb left on her plate. I think DS had a bite or two.
DS was too full for dessert, so we asked if we could have a water instead. I figured it would come in handy later on and it did.

DH ordered the Chocolate Whisky Cake (you can’t taste whiskey at all)

This was delicious !! A close tie for the best dessert of the trip. The other being the Chocolate dessert I had at California Grill.

We enjoyed our meal here very much, but I think the rush to get there left us a little undone. We plan to go back for sure.

I just love the garden here. It really is breathtaking.

 

[butiflfeet]

I just found your reviews and I'm hooked! I love your details about the food and experiences you had. And I'm even more excited for our anniversary dinner at California Grill in October now

Thanks for sharing!

 

[jecskc]

I just found your reviews and I'm hooked! I love your details about the food and experiences you had. And I'm even more excited for our anniversary dinner at California Grill in October now

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for reading !! I am having fun writing it as well. California Grill is the absolute Bomb-diggity !! You are going to LOVE it !! Make sure that you have that it is your anniversary on your reservation. I really felt like having that on our reservation helped us get a table right next to the windows. Our view was AMAZING !! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did !!

 

[jecskc]

We explored Word Showcase a bit and DD and I experienced the pick-a-pearl in Japan. After we were done, DS wanted a slushie from the kiosk near Morocco.

Can you guess what color it was ???

And I had to get a Grey Goose slushie from France

Ahhhhh ..... nectar of the gods .......

 

[JessicaFaye508]

Ahh your Le Cellier fiasco leaves me anxious! I hate being in those situations of running late for an ADR. There is so much uncertainty and stress that comes along with it I'm glad you enjoyed your meal, though!! I LOVE the chocolate moose... it's one of my favorite Disney desserts! I would love to try that chocolate cake.. but the moose would always be my first choice. So, I'd have to have someone else order it