Mr. and Mrs. Weak Sauce Go the Distance (a completed Disneymoon TR!)

[mermaid764]

I'm not sure again where this one is from but i'm going to go with the que line at Toy Story Mania

 

[JLCJMC]

I don't know if someone else has mentioned it but since you were talking about staying on property again (which I just love! make the whole trip for us!) I wanted to make sure that you knew that the Swan and Dolphin have a special teacher rate that is often the in the same range as a value (sometimes even less!) We have stayed there many times and we love it! You can walk to Epcot and the Studies and the Boardwalk area is lovely. Epcot is my favorite so the easy access is a HUGE bonus for us. You cannot use ME or DDP but neither is a big draw for us... just wanted to make sure you were aware Now I am off to read your update!

 

[jane2073]

I am guessing one of the rooms in Figments house.

 

[shan23877]

My best guess would be TSMM queue, but I know it's not right. Those colors are more primary. That's a good one!

Love all the pics from AKL!

 

[Nermel9]

I love AKL, I think Jambo House is SO beautiful! I've never visited Kidani, but I'd like to someday! I'm just not brave enough for Sanaa, I can't wait to hear your review of it! (Haha, and that's why I never do a dining report, I can't think of any other way to describe what I'm eating other than "soooo good" and "yummy!" Once in a while, if something is really good I'll be super creative and say "amazing!")

Did you cut your hair yet? I saw that you were debating the bangs/no bangs decision on FB! Every time I cut bangs, I regret it, because I hate having my hair in my face, but then when they grow out, I hate how I look without them!

 

[Self_resqing_princz]

So, my husband was watching Castaway last night... which is obviously not a Disney movie.. BUT... He looked up on IMDB (Internet Movie Database) to see what Tom Hanks was working on...
in the list was a movie called "Saving Mr. Banks"- which is apparently about how Mary Poppins was made... and Tom Hanks PLAYS WALT DISNEY... which is in pre-production and as far as I know doesn't have a release date yet.
ALSO-- He is listed as "in production" with TOY STORY 4! Which is just in the "announced" phase... not even in pre-production yet.
Just thought I'd share if you guys hadn't heard.

 

[729tink]

We walked out of the front entrance and walked straight ahead to the set of stairs that led to the Magical Express waiting area. We continued walking forward to meet the trail that would lead us to Kidani Village. In this picture, I think I was commenting that it smelled like bacon! Haha, as if someone let out a bacon toot!

You are too funny! That would be awesome though
I want to hear what you thought of Sanaa. I'm always afraid to eat at AKL because I'm worried I won't find anything I like. I'm trying to grow my hair out too right now because I have a few weddings to attend/be in and I can never do anything pretty with my hair when its short. We just came back from a quick trip two weeks ago and I definitely wish I had cut it beforehand! Now that we're back I'll wait it out - but I know how you felt!

 

[RachelNinja]

My guess is Minnie's House. But not sure if that's right since Minnie's house probably wasn't open when you went on your honeymoon.

Nope, but good guess! It does have the same design as the Toontown houses!

Your pictures of AKL are seriously making me wish I was there right now! Oh, to have a view of giraffes from my room, instead of my basic, boring neighborhood.

I love the picture of you two in the mirror, because I tend to do that in hotels, and so I love it when other people do too.

The hallways at Kidani are ridiculous. I love the place, but my mom and I stayed there once, and we were in about the middle of the hallway, and I don't know for certain how long it took us to get to the main lobby, but it seemed liked forever, especially at the end of the day. One time my mom decided to walk to the end and back from our room, and I'm pretty sure it took her at least ten minutes.

I'm looking forward to hear what you think of Sanaa. I've never eaten there, and it's one of those ones I'm always debating if I should try.

I look outside my apartment window and I see the trees that blow in the allergens that make me sneeze so often along with the highway. Oh for all those cars to be giraffes! So cool!

Who doesn't love a good mirror pic? I like 'em because you can see Howard in 'em too!

Oh man, I can't imagine having to walk that long! That's one reason why I didn't want to deal with Kidani. I figured if we DID stay there that I'd have to let them know of one of my many medical conditions making it difficult to be on my feet for very long periods of time. I wouldn't be able to last at all!

Sanaa is definitely a restaurant to try if you want something different than the "regular" food that Disney offers!

Since I don't really know for sure where this picture was taken, I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say it's in the queue of the toontown fair. Pretty sure it's somewhere in Fantasyland... but that would have been under constructions while you were there... so I really don't know.

No, not Toontown Fair, but it's a good guess!

Not really sure at all but I'm going to guess the great piggybank adventure in Innoventions

YOU ARE CORRECT! You have earned another weak sauce point!

I'm not sure again where this one is from but i'm going to go with the que line at Toy Story Mania

Not that attraction but good guess!

I don't know if someone else has mentioned it but since you were talking about staying on property again (which I just love! make the whole trip for us!) I wanted to make sure that you knew that the Swan and Dolphin have a special teacher rate that is often the in the same range as a value (sometimes even less!) We have stayed there many times and we love it! You can walk to Epcot and the Studies and the Boardwalk area is lovely. Epcot is my favorite so the easy access is a HUGE bonus for us. You cannot use ME or DDP but neither is a big draw for us... just wanted to make sure you were aware Now I am off to read your update!

Oh wow, I didn't know that they had a special teacher rate! Thanks for letting me know! We wouldn't use the dining plan either, so that wouldn't be an issue at all!

I am guessing one of the rooms in Figments house.

Not Figment's house, but that's a good guess!

My best guess would be TSMM queue, but I know it's not right. Those colors are more primary. That's a good one!

Love all the pics from AKL!

Good guess, but it's not TSMM!

Isn't is such a lovely looking resort?

I love AKL, I think Jambo House is SO beautiful! I've never visited Kidani, but I'd like to someday! I'm just not brave enough for Sanaa, I can't wait to hear your review of it! (Haha, and that's why I never do a dining report, I can't think of any other way to describe what I'm eating other than "soooo good" and "yummy!" Once in a while, if something is really good I'll be super creative and say "amazing!")

Did you cut your hair yet? I saw that you were debating the bangs/no bangs decision on FB! Every time I cut bangs, I regret it, because I hate having my hair in my face, but then when they grow out, I hate how I look without them!

Haha, seriously! You'd think it'd be easier to do a dining report, but it really isn't! I love the ones who just know how to describe the food in more than just those few words. Hopefully, I can describe some dishes in a way that'll do them justice!

YES, I did cut my hair! I know you saw it on Facebook at this point. Haha, as you can see, I didn't go with the bangs! They would really annoy me because I'd feel something on my forehead and think there was a bug on me or something. I just don't like it when my hair is pulled back and my forehead seems big!

So, my husband was watching Castaway last night... which is obviously not a Disney movie.. BUT... He looked up on IMDB (Internet Movie Database) to see what Tom Hanks was working on...
in the list was a movie called "Saving Mr. Banks"- which is apparently about how Mary Poppins was made... and Tom Hanks PLAYS WALT DISNEY... which is in pre-production and as far as I know doesn't have a release date yet.
ALSO-- He is listed as "in production" with TOY STORY 4! Which is just in the "announced" phase... not even in pre-production yet.
Just thought I'd share if you guys hadn't heard.

Oh wow! That's such interesting info! I'm curious to know how Tom Hanks would play Walt Disney. Thanks for sharing!

You are too funny! That would be awesome though
I want to hear what you thought of Sanaa. I'm always afraid to eat at AKL because I'm worried I won't find anything I like. I'm trying to grow my hair out too right now because I have a few weddings to attend/be in and I can never do anything pretty with my hair when its short. We just came back from a quick trip two weeks ago and I definitely wish I had cut it beforehand! Now that we're back I'll wait it out - but I know how you felt!

Oh, it's definitely worth it! I think it was one of the most delicious meals I've ever had in my life! I know that the things aren't necessarily the typical flavors, but there are items that aren't as "exotic." I think it's definitely worth a try!

My hair gets SO fluffy when it's short. It just poufs like nobody's business! It doesn't seem at all fitting for events like weddings, haha. Poufy and frizzy is the name of the game!

Weak Sauce Points Scoreboard​

Round 12 for Cropped was guessed correctly - yay to kschafer! The picture was from the Great Piggy Bank Adventure. If you've never stopped to play this game in Innoventions, you really should! If anything, you'll get to hold the super cute piggy bank! We didn't play during our honeymoon, but we played in April when we went with my family (isn't it such a comfort to know that even after this honeymoon TR is over, I still have my April 2012 trip to write about ... haha).

kschafer - 3
wdwgirl03 - 2
NeverlandClub23 - 2
shan23877 - 2
Self_resqing_princz - 1
therussells08 - 1
Curiouser&curiouser! - 1
jane2073 - 1
Happy Duck - 1

And just for a quick real life update, I got my haircut on Saturday! I had 14 inches of hair cut off so that I could donate it for the 4th time in my life. I cut it every two years, so I really have to adjust to the huge change every single time I do it! In the photo on the right, the hairdresser blew my hair out and used the brushed to straighten it. When I dry it myself, it's rather poufy and fluffy! I left it down on Sunday, and I think now I'm ready to just keep it up in a ponytail until it starts to grow out more, haha. Thankfully, my hair grows rather quickly. Plus, I'd much rather feel like I have funky hair than no hair at all, so for that, I'm grateful!

Long? Short? Which is a better look? The long one is definitely not the kind of hair you want to have for a May Disneymoon!

 

[JLCJMC]

While the face you are making in both pictures is quite something... :-D I have to say that I am a fan of the shorter hair -- looks nice! And Bravo for the donation --

 

[kschafer]

I like it short!! Although I understand the strageness of that sudden change, I have chopped my hair a couple times and immediately have regretted it although I came to love it (but not nearly as much as yours, my hair just doesn't get that long, good for you for doing something good with it!!) If it's as hot there as it is in Iowa, I'm sure you are much cooler!

And I just have to for another point!!

 

[jane2073]

While I am a fan of long hair, the shorter hair looks really good!! And I think it actually makes you look a little older!

 

[Jennifer48]

I can't wait for your review of Sanaa! We really would like to try that sometime soon.

I think your hair looks cute either way. You are lucky to be able to have either fit your face. I look horrible in short hair

Do you have to ship your hair to Locks for Love or does the hairdresser do it? I've always wondered that!

 

[Self_resqing_princz]

couple things:
first, love the short hair... but then again, I've always liked shorter hair...

second, considering I've never even heard of the "great piggybank" whatever.. I call foul.. is that new? I've never heard or it nor seen it.. where is that?

 

[RachelNinja]

While the face you are making in both pictures is quite something... :-D I have to say that I am a fan of the shorter hair -- looks nice! And Bravo for the donation --

Thanks! Haha, I had smiling faces for both, but I think the sad faces I was making really captured how I was feeling at the time. I was upset to be cutting it off because I really start to think of my hair as a security blanket (haha and sometimes literally a blanket!).

I like it short!! Although I understand the strageness of that sudden change, I have chopped my hair a couple times and immediately have regretted it although I came to love it (but not nearly as much as yours, my hair just doesn't get that long, good for you for doing something good with it!!) If it's as hot there as it is in Iowa, I'm sure you are much cooler!

And I just have to for another point!!

I have already gotten used to it for the most part. I do love it because it doesn't take as long to wash, haha. Normally, I'm in the shower for a superbly long time trying to wash my hair. I don't even need to take a brush with me! It used to take forever to even just wet all the hair!

Woohoo for you with the weak sauce point! You're on a roll!

While I am a fan of long hair, the shorter hair looks really good!! And I think it actually makes you look a little older!

Thanks! In the past, I'd cut my hair, and it'd always make me look younger! I thought that I was going to look TOO young like, how-in-the-world-are-you-married young. It's funny that a lot of my friends get their hair cut after they get married. Haha, too many things to do to worry about maintaining long hair!

I can't wait for your review of Sanaa! We really would like to try that sometime soon.

I think your hair looks cute either way. You are lucky to be able to have either fit your face. I look horrible in short hair

Do you have to ship your hair to Locks for Love or does the hairdresser do it? I've always wondered that!

Sanaa review will be posted right after this! I had a blast writing it and trying to find new ways to describe the food other than saying "delicious."

If I looked weird with long OR short hair, I don't know that I'd be willing to grow it out and cut to donate it. I always thought that long hair made my face not look so round though.

I have to ship my hair to Locks of Love. I don't go to a salon that's part of the program. I know in the past when I did the research, I saw that you could go to a salon that participates and the haircut itself would also be free. I know Pantene Pro-V does it now as well, so I'm not sure where I'm going to send it. I was thinking of doing it at the Harmony Barber Shop in MK, but I thought it'd be weird to have to carry hair around all day, haha.

couple things:
first, love the short hair... but then again, I've always liked shorter hair...

second, considering I've never even heard of the "great piggybank" whatever.. I call foul.. is that new? I've never heard or it nor seen it.. where is that?

Thanks! Shorter hair is a lot easier to maintain!

The Great Piggybank Adventure is in Innoventions West, which is the same building where you can play "Where's the Fire?" If you haven't spent time exploring both buildings, you really should! It's so much fun playing the games! In the past, I used to think that riding the rides was the most important, but these things were crazy fun! We've played "Where's the Fire?" before and recently did "Smarter Planet" where we did moves and then were put into a video game we could play. When was the last time you were at WDW? The Great Piggybank Adventure was opened on May 19, 2009 (we got a kick out of seeing that since it was the date of our wedding in 2012!).

 

[RachelNinja]

Sanaa = Delicious Indeed!

I just had to use my last trip report title as the title of this post because Sanaa was the GREATEST RESTAURANT OF OUR ENTIRE HONEYMOON. Yes, I am giving it that ranking, and it wasn't just me. Howard ranks it that way too! Hopefully, I can do some justice to our meal with my descriptions instead of just using delicious, yummy, and amazing (haha, right Jen?).

After watching the animals for a bit, we went back inside Kidani and walked down the stairs to Sanaa. Wow, I absolutely loved the atmosphere! In this picture, the check-in desk (with the superbly friendly CMs!) was to the right. To the left, there were all these benches to sit and wait. I liked that it was spread out. I mean, I know it wasn't crowded or anything, but it's nice to see that there was plenty of room and viewing areas.

I took a look at the menu that was posted there even though I pretty much knew what I wanted to try.

In just a few minutes, we were seated in the middle, about 2 tables (including some space) away from the windows. The pictures of the place just does not do it justice. I've seen it beforehand, but in real life, it was just so pretty! It didn't feel snooty or stuck-up at all. It was just a calm, relaxing atmosphere.

There really wasn't anywhere at that time, so I was surprised that there weren't that many ADR times available. Haha, that was okay though. We like emptier restaurants. Being amidst crowds really bothers me, which is hilarious because, well, we WERE in Disney World!

During our April trip only a month earlier, I had a few stomach problems while there. I couldn't figure out what it was until closer to the end of the vacation. I think it was the water (we got a lot of the free iced water from the CS places). Maybe it was something that wasn't filtered the same way or just because I'm very used to NYC water? Either way, I was set on ordering drinks at restaurants to avoid any stomach issues (yes, I know the stuff could have the Florida water in it too, but I was hoping it wouldn't be as bad ... and it wasn't!). We both decided on the pomegranate lemonade because I had remembered some people raving about it on dining reports.

Boy, it was so great! It was a rather tasty option to have other than soda, and now we'll definitely associate pomegranate lemonade with Disney only (as opposed to the soda you can get anywhere). It wasn't tart, and it had a unique flavor since the other lemonades I've tried are raspberry or ... pink (which tastes very artificial).

We decided not to order 2 separate entrees but instead get 2 appetizers and 1 entree and just split it all so that we could try more. We asked that it all be brought out at the same time so we could graze on all the dishes at once. The first thing we got was the Sampler for Two for $14.99. That included 2 Potato and Pea Samosas, 2 Lamb Kefta Kabobs (on AllEars, it says that it now comes with Pulled Duck), and Roasted Cauliflower.

We also tried the Indian Style Bread Service, which was $8.99 for 3 breads and 3 accompaniments. For our dips (you know me and dip!), we chose Mango Chutney because things like mango salsa are delicious, Garlic Pickle even though it was supposed to be one of the spicier ones, and Cucumber Raita for a lighter, cooler taste just in case things were spicy. We spoke to our server about it, and she said the most popular was the Red Pepper Hummus.

For the breads, we chose Naan, Onion Kulcha (I thought it was kultha, and I kept saying it that way ...), and Papadum. Our server explained the difference between them because I knew I wanted the crunchy choice. She said the Paneer Paratha had cheese or something inside of it from what I'm remembering, so we skipped that one. The papadum is on the top, which was the thin, crispy one. There were 2 pieces of it. It was surprisingly the spiciest of the three! I really enjoyed it, but I had to keep drinking my lemonade to cool my tongue. Wouldn't keep me from ordering it again though! The naan was underneath and was my least favorite because it didn't seem special enough. It was plain, which works well with the extreme flavors, but I was more interested in the flavorful choices. It was also a little greasy, but I think it was because the outside was buttered. I hope I didn't just make that up! The onion kultha (I'm probably going to keep calling it that, haha) was the tastiest without my having to worry about any heat. It had pieces of onion inside, which made it a moist, easily rippable bread (as opposed to the naan).

As for the appetizer sampler, I was actually a little disappointed. It wasn't bad; it was actually good food, but I wouldn't order it again. The samosas were really tasty, but I've had samosas before, so it wasn't something new to me. It was also served with the mango chutney, but we had chosen that as one of our dips, so that wasn't new either (good choice if you DIDN'T choose it with the bread service because then you'd get to try another one). The lamb kefta kabobs had a very strong lamb flavor. If you only like chicken and beef and aren't a fan of lamb, I wouldn't suggest you try this. But if you do like lamb, you'd like it. It was like a dense meatball. The roasted cauliflower was our least favorite. I actually prefer my cauliflower to be cooked down more. I think that if it was a little bit softer instead of so crunchy (I like raw cauliflower with dip, but if it's supposed to be cooked cauliflower, I don't like it crunchy ... haha, if that makes sense), it'd be better. Don't get me wrong; the food was good! I just think that in comparison to the bread service, it wasn't AS good. Out of the two, I'd definitely recommend the bread service first!

Going back to the dips (lots of photos of the yummy food!) ... our least favorite was the cucumber raita. It was, as we expected, very cooling on the tongue and a nice break between the other accompaniments. I guess that's the benefit of a yogurt-based dip! It was mild in flavor. The mango chutney had a nice kick to it! I expected it to be sweeter, but I enjoyed the heat that was part of this delicious flavor! Our favorite was the garlic pickle! This was supposed to be the spiciest one, but it actually wasn't. I was surprised that I liked it; Howard chose it. When we got it and I saw the huge cloves of garlic, I expected it to be a strong flavor in a bad way. It wasn't at all! It was so yummy to be able to spoon one clove of garlic onto our bread of choice and nom away! When I saw pictures of the bread service, I thought that the little rammekin-type dishes were way too small! I mean, I am a dipper and all! However, I'm here to tell you that there was PLENTY of the dip to use! No scrimping at all. It's because the flavors are so strong that you don't need to scoop up a ton as you would a Tostitos scoop with mild salsa (haha, or as I would ...).

For the shared entree, we chose the Slow Cooked in Gravy, Simple and Well Seasoned and chose the Basmati Rice (there's something about rice pilaf that bothers me ... I always imagine it to be like, crunchy rice or something!). It cost $18.99 to have our choice of rice and 2 entrees. We picked the Shrimp with Green Curry Sauce and the Beef Short Ribs. Um, that shrimp? GREATEST THING WE ATE ON OUR ENTIRE HONEYMOON. I'm even going to say that it was the GREATEST THING I EVER ATE ON DISNEY PROPERTY! Yes, it now has that coveted spot previously held by the pork and shrimp and other deliciousness from 'Ohana, and it even beats Le Cellier in my book! When I first dipped my fork into the sauce and tasted it, I didn't like that it was spicy. However, after tasting it again, it wasn't that bad at all. That's one of the things I really liked about Sanaa. I like spicy food without having my mouth burned. That means I don't like hot sauce or really hot wings, but I like things that have a kick in them. Anyway, the sauce was amazing! I wish we could have gotten a huge vat of the stuff with bowl after bowl of rice! The shrimp was also perfectly cooked. They were really large and extremely crunchy! I hate it when shrimp is overcooked and too chewy. This was as fresh as shrimp could get. The combination was heavenly! The beef short ribs, on the other hand, was not something I liked. It tasted too ... familiar. I shouldn't have listened to dining reports for this one expecting to like it when I don't care about the flavor of beef that much to begin with, haha. If you DO like beef and don't want to stray too far in terms of flavors, this is for you. It had a strong, flavorful gravy, but it just didn't hold a candle to that shrimp and green curry sauce! I know I've read a recent TR where the person said that the beef was too similar to what she makes herself at home, so that might give you an idea of what to order if you decide to try this place out. Are you willing to be adventurous and taste new things? Or do you want to take comfort in eating something you like and enjoy?

This was definitely a meal that "changed my life" as in, "we-have-to-eat-there-from-now-on-every-time-we're-in-Disney"! THAT'S how much we liked it.

VIDEO: Drumming at Sanaa

Our meal came out to be $53.20 not including tip. It was worth every cent! Even the things we didn't like as much as others were worth it because we got to try such a variety of items. What was even better was that we didn't even pay for the meal because we used a Disney gift card that we received as a wedding gift!

Here are the remnants of our shrimp in green curry sauce. Sorry, we didn't get a better picture of the actual dish. I'll post a better one when I review Sanaa again later in the trip! Yes, we had to go back!

This picture looks like it's the same as the one above, but it's not. I actually stuck my fork into the sauce once more to get a taste, hehe.

We ate EVERYTHING. And by everything I mean, we still had leftovers. That doesn't make much sense, but it's late, haha. We brought back some of the bread service as well as the cauliflower.

VIDEO: Quick Review of Sanaa Dinner

It was finally time to leave. It was the perfect start to our honeymoon! I couldn't believe we were in Disney World together with such a delectable meal to start us off.

Gotta love all the work Disney puts into the designing of the place. I'd love to sit at that long table by the bar and have dish after dish of shrimp in green curry sauce along with their bread service!

And right before we left (the check-in desk is in the picture), Howard took a picture of this quotation on the wall. Well, thank you pots. You made a meal to be remembered FOREVER!

Let's just hope the rest of our Disneymoon lives up to the wonderful experience we had at Sanaa!

 

[JLCJMC]

Great review -- sounds delicious, we will definitely have to try it on a future trip!

 

[jane2073]

Excellent review! We love Boma and Tusker House so we will have to give Sanaa a try.
My husband and I usually share dishes too. Greater variety!!

 

[kschafer]

Sanaa has never held much appeal for me but you almost make me want to try it!

I just have to say I'm very jealous that you and Howard share dishes. My hubby is NOT a sharer, I have to be very selective when I ask for a bite of something because I know he will hate the idea of it. His loves the episode of Friends where "Joey doesn't share food!!" because that's totally him I so often wish it were different because I would much rather have smaller samplings with more variety

 

[shan23877]

Sounds like you were off to a great start at Sanaa! The AK restaurants aren't usually on my radar because AKL seems so far out there, but this is the second glowing review of Sanaa I've read in the last week. Might have to make it a point to get out that way!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I love your review of Sanaa! We ate there for the first time last December. I thought the atmosphere was amazing, but by the middle of the meal the place was packed and very loud. I think we need to try again for lunch or an early or late dinner. I think we had a 6:30 or 7 p.m. ADR. I can't remember for the life of me what I had, but I remember it being decent. For some reason I think I remember saying to myself that I would like to try something different next time. And this is why I need to take notes .