The not so live version of dining w/ Disers, in Castles & on Safari! The Wrap! 2/26

Joining in :flower3: really love all the detail of your report! Will head over to the trip report in a bit too :cool1:
 
So I think I am going to cancel my WCC dinner on our arrival night for Territory Lounge... I'm thinking it looks much better! Also, we dined at Artist's Point and loved the menu....

We can't wait for Jiko! I tacked 2 nights onto our trip and we will be at Kidani - :)
 
Other than the stuffed french toast, that stuff looks a lot like the TH breakfast… Which means that I'll enjoy it all! :thumbsup2
 
Brenda, I didn't realize you had to stay CL to do the Sunrise Safari. I guess that's out for us. :(

Kathy, that's right, you need to stay CL to do the Sunrise Safari. But any AKL lodge guest can book the Sunset (Wanyama) Safari. DH & I did that once (December 2010, I think) and loved it. Dinner is a special one at Jiko.

I'm so sorry the food wasn't as good as you were hoping. Disappointing about that French toast.

Look at you...Miss Popular with photos from the guide and the chef. I want to be you when I grow up. ;)

Brenda - do you think some people might put cream cheese on a plain croissant? I wouldn't but 'ya never know :confused3 I've also heard of mixing it in with scrambled eggs as you cook them but can't imagine adding it after the fact. Could there have been a basket of hidden toast somewhere (you know, near some hidden Mickey's)? ;)
 


So I managed to fit Jiko into our October itinerary, based largely on your review. Thank you! We've eaten there many times before but you reminded me how much we love it.

A few more points in the "pro" column for Club Level. Late night desserts? Sunrise Safari? Sounds good to me. The breakfast looks good for what it was. I'm sure the real thrill was the safari itself; looking forward to hearing the details on your TR.

Don't you just love meeting CMs who love their jobs? Eddie sounds like a great CM. We will keep an eye out for him in the AK next month! Hope you take him up on the tour offer. We were blessed to be able to do a private evening safari/tour last year (not with Eddie but with other amazing CMs). I just love the AK/AKL!!

Totally random but I absolutely adore the top you were wearing for the sunrise safari. So pretty!!
 
I cannot WAIT for the day that I get to stay club level. It looks like a complete DREAM to be spoiled like that. And also, if you are wondering who would want hot chocolate in the heat. That would be my son, Landon. It was very hot out today, he was actually complaining about it...but when we stopped by Starbucks, he wanted some hot chocolate over chocolate milk!

Is AKL the only place that offers something even more exclusive like a Sunrise Safari breakfast?

I think it looks like it has some pretty good offerings! And I love how great your tour guide was! I love how he gave you his info and that offer for next time! It's like they think we won't come back without promises of private tours or something! But if they insist!

Your little guy knows what he wants - even if hot chocolate in summer!

Yes, for that type of tour, AKL is the only resort that offers the sunrise safari with breakfast. There is another sunset safari noted below that they also offer.

Eddy was incredible and simply loved his job! But yeah, a private tour is kinda a good hook!

Very cool with the Sunrise Safari buffet. We don't own with DVC in AKL, so we can't ever book in a window long enough to get CL at the resort. Hopefully the stars will align one day and I'll get in!

Oooohhh, that french toast with the plantains looks good! I love plantains. I'm sorry that it was disappointing though.

Hi Dani!! It was fun.

I hear there are some CL rooms at Jambo for the villas - I would want that too but I doubt a non-DVC member would ever be able to score those rooms. But you stayed at the Treehouse Villas which is incredible!!!!

The French toast just wasn't as good as it was hyped to be. Maybe I let it sit out too long before I ate it??

Brenda, I didn't realize you had to stay CL to do the Sunrise Safari. I guess that's out for us.

I'm so sorry the food wasn't as good as you were hoping. Disappointing about that French toast.

Look at you...Miss Popular with photos from the guide and the chef. I want to be you when I grow up.

I see my friend Kathy Z chimed in with the sunset safari tour information. It may not include a meal but I would guarantee this would be fabulous.

Yep, pretty disappointing but the blintz' were good. Really, just being able to do it was pretty cool so as long as they didn't offer pizza and breadsticks I was cool with it.

Ha ha!! Look who's talking, Miss I Have a Dismeet EVERY Day... even when at home!! Seriously, you are completely awesome so now I know why everyone wants to meet up with you.

i don't think i've ever commented on your threads before, but i have been following for a while. love your reviews and pictures.

if i remember correctly, didn't you also get a number from a young male waiter at chefs de france! so this is the second time. congratulations! ;) :rotfl::lmao:

Hi there Anderson! You clearly are a Disney lover looking at your impressive signature!! That's awesome.

Thanks so much for reading and commenting. I'm so glad to see you here!! :)

You have an awesome memory. Yes, I was the lucky recipient of Francois' phone number during our April 2011 trip.

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Thanks again for reading along with this DR.

You and Em are certainly high rollers Brenda - what a way to start a day.

Such a great perk of staying CL.

Apart from the obvious (lounges, food etc.) I can't think of any other resort CL that offers such a cool added extra as this one at AKL? - really makes it worthwhile stumping up the extra cash to me.

Hi Linda! Summer discounts helped!! I booked CL so we could do that tour but now that we've stayed CL....

I think that is another thing that makes this resort stand out for us is that it does offer some tours and activities you will not see anywhere else like the night vision goggle experience and the unique educational "seminars" in the Sunset overlook lounge area.

Nice review! Bummer for the food :upsidedow but what do you do? Win some, lose some. Sometimes Disney hits the nail on the head with their menus and other times, they miss the mark completely. I would be a tad annoyed for spending money on the Sunrise Safari if there was subpar breakfast and a subpar tour, but when the animals are the main attraction, I guess I wouldn't complain too much either about the Fruit Loop breakfast. I mean, heck, when I am at Disney, I tend to be a bit of a Pollyanna and play the Glad Game when I can. Can't wait for the future review.

I suppose in Disney's defense they were having a buffet at Pizzafari! I was impressed that they had a chef. Overall I was a fan of the experience. :)

I should have tried more items since my frame of reference is narrowed by my few selections.

Wow the food looked great at the safari breakfast. What a shame that the French toast didn't meet expectations.

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Thanks Jill. They did a great job. Maybe I shouldn't have chatted so much before I ate breakfast... maybe it sat out too long. :confused3 I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.
 


I keep saying this but those CL perks keep adding up. I didn't realize you had to b CL to do this.

Breakfast looked good, nice presentation.. Maybe they forgot to put the bagels out and left them in the back? Lol
Lol about the guide giving you his number and the weirdness comment..very nice of him to do that for sure.

Hi Patti! Only for this particular tour do you have to stay CL, thus the small size of the tour. See Kathy Z's note about the sunset safari tour. That one sounds good as well.

The food was definitely presented very nicely. Everything did look incredible.

Ha ha! I'm still wondering what I missed with the cream cheese.

It was completely not creepy about Eddy offering to do the tour. He does that for others. He really loves his job. I just didn't want to write this to look like it was anything other than innocent on his part.


The food pictures look great, bummer about the food. However the experience of the safari sounds amazing as it's so exclusive.

Hi Lori! I would say that despite not having stellar food, it is a minor complaint compared to the entire experience that was awesome!!

Looks nice! I see you're missing a biscuit though. Too bad the food wasn't awesome but yay for making a new friend!! Cast members are awesome.

Hi Jennifer! I was missing a lot!! Too bad I didn't try more things but I was too chatty. (Go figure, right?)


Hi gunner!! Glad you're subbin'!! Welcome!

Great report. Not something someone prepping for gastric sleeve surgery should be reading but it all looked so good. :lmao:

Hi Scott! I'm glad you are here despite your pending new sleeve. You'll have to look away for the next update!! :lmao:

Wow the Sunrise Safari breakfast looks great! Looking forward to reading about the actual safari in your TR. I would love to do that, but I don't see a CL stay anytime in my near future. I want to do the safari just for that banana french toast! It speaks to me. :laughing:

Hi there Jeri! I'm almost to the safari part of my TR. I know that language of food speaking to you. ;) It can be so persuasive! (I thought I subbed to your PTR but I don't think I did because I saw all sorts of new and exciting things you posted! That's fixed now.)

The Sunrise Safari breakfast sounds like a cool experience! Looking forward to your take on Y&Y - we ate there for the first time in April.

Hi there! It really was a fabulous experience! I'm a huge Y&Y fan so stay tuned... that's coming up next.

Wow! The safari breakfast looks awesome! I'm really digging the omelet station.

Hi Charlotte! Now that you mention it, I love omelet's and I can't believe that I didn't get one. :)

Great review of the safari! The food looks amazing! I try not to drool on the computer screen when I see the food photos. :confused3

I'm excited that we are leaving in a week but disappointed that we are still not going to Jiko after 7 trips.... oh well. Maybe next year!!

Hi Tinker! Thanks, it was pretty good overall.

How exciting that you will be at WDW this week!! :banana: It took me about 6 trips to get to Jiko so you are just more patient than me!! Enjoy your trip.

popcorn:: joining in popcorn::

Hi MiaBella! I'm glad you are joining!! Welcome!! :)

Joining in :flower3: really love all the detail of your report! Will head over to the trip report in a bit too :cool1:

Hi there and welcome! I'm so glad that you are joining and reading along. :flower3:

I have to be careful to not include too many details since it can get rather boring.... ;)

So I think I am going to cancel my WCC dinner on our arrival night for Territory Lounge... I'm thinking it looks much better! Also, we dined at Artist's Point and loved the menu....

We can't wait for Jiko! I tacked 2 nights onto our trip and we will be at Kidani - :)

Hi Sarah! Territory Lounge would be a great alternative at WL... I've not had dinner at WCC so I have no comparison. For us, this was a great laid back (and tasty) option on arrival night.

Yay!! Sounds like you just sealed the deal for a Jiko dinner!!

Other than the stuffed french toast, that stuff looks a lot like the TH breakfast… Which means that I'll enjoy it all! :thumbsup2

Hi Christen!! You know... I guess it does. I can't remember all that TH offers since it is so massive!! And you get characters at TH!

Brenda - do you think some people might put cream cheese on a plain croissant? I wouldn't but 'ya never know :confused3 I've also heard of mixing it in with scrambled eggs as you cook them but can't imagine adding it after the fact. Could there have been a basket of hidden toast somewhere (you know, near some hidden Mickey's)? ;)

Thank you for sharing that Kathy!! I completely forgot about that tour.

Yeah, I went back and looked at all my photos and video and I see nothing that goes with cream cheese. Maybe they have it on other days but today was a dry day for bagels?? Ha ha!! maybe it is by the hidden Mickey. :rotfl2:

So I managed to fit Jiko into our October itinerary, based largely on your review. Thank you! We've eaten there many times before but you reminded me how much we love it.

A few more points in the "pro" column for Club Level. Late night desserts? Sunrise Safari? Sounds good to me. The breakfast looks good for what it was. I'm sure the real thrill was the safari itself; looking forward to hearing the details on your TR.

Don't you just love meeting CMs who love their jobs? Eddie sounds like a great CM. We will keep an eye out for him in the AK next month! Hope you take him up on the tour offer. We were blessed to be able to do a private evening safari/tour last year (not with Eddie but with other amazing CMs). I just love the AK/AKL!!

Totally random but I absolutely adore the top you were wearing for the sunrise safari. So pretty!!

Hi Christine! Oh, I'm glad you are returning to Jiko. I hope it is a lovely dinner!

Definitely the safari was the star of the show but given more sampling of the choices I may have had a different opinion. I'm almost at the safari part of my TR.

Look for Eddy - he was awesome. That's so awesome that you did a private tour. I'll be looking forward to hearing about your trip. :)

Thanks for the random fashion compliment about the top.
 
Joining in and all caught up !!! Wonderful pictures and great read! Thx!:wizard:

Hi there CanadianPaco! I've seen you around the boards before so am completely honored to have you join and follow along. Thank you!! :goodvibes

So you are Canadian eh? :lmao: Sorry, I couldn't resist.
 
Day 3: Sunday August 18, 20013 - Yak and Yeti Lunch

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This much anticipated lunch was our third visit to this Landry’s owned restaurant that is definitely on our must do list!

We had a 1:30pm reservation and when we arrived to check in, they were accepting walk-ups. We were seated at a tiny 2-top table in the front room and shortly thereafter welcomed by our waiter, Seth, who could have been my son yet kept calling Em sweetheart the entire meal. He was just charming enough for it to be ok and not over the top or creepy.

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Starting with some cold beverages since it was sweltering out… iced tea for Em and a pina colada for me. I believe this is becoming a Y&Y tradition for me.

Pina Colada ($8.99)​
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Honestly, I must not have been hungry at all since I didn’t even crack the menu to take photos for the live dining thread! Point deductions are in order here! Knowing what I wanted weeks, no months before we dined here likely helped get things moving along quickly.

Starting with Em, she ordered the side of chicken fried rice and a side of stir fry veggies, while I opted for a side (2) of the pork egg rolls. I should have ordered an appetizer portion (3) since two simply served to whet my appetite. However, constraint was in order since dessert was in my future.

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Side of Pork Egg Rolls with Chili Plum sauce ($5.99)
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Side of Chicken Fried Rice ($5.49) and Side of Stir Fried Vegetables with garlic and soy sauce ($4.99)
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If you can’t already tell, I’m a huge fan of the egg rolls. I also love the pot stickers but I’ll be back for those another time. (December perhaps?) Em was happy with her rice and veggies. What’s not to like? Other than it looks a little heavy on the soy sauce and I don’t see any chicken in chicken fried rice; however, Em assures me it was there.

Skipping dessert here wasn’t going to happen. I could give three guesses for what we ordered but likely everyone would say….

Cream Cheese Wontons: Skewers of cream cheese wontons with pineapple and strawberries served with a side of vanilla ice-cream: ($8.99)
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These are always fabulous and delicious!

Seth came around checking on us one last time and asked if I wanted another pina colada. I do talk with my hands so when I made a motion of tipping my glass up and draining it and said I’d had enough thank you very much he busted out laughing and almost dropped his tray. Poor guy, easily amused I suppose. :p

There’s no TiW accepted here but they do offer AP discounts if you order an entrée.

Next Up: A Dismeet dinner

 
I can't wait to eat at Yak & Yeti in December. We've not been there since they opened in 2007 and am definitely getting one of those Pina Coladas. :)
 
I have never eaten here either, but with such wonderful reviews I have it on my most do, whenever we get to go back...lol
 
I haven't been to Y&Y for years...I think its time to put it back in rotation.

Jill in CO
 
Just changed around some reservations to try out Yak & Yeti on our AK day! Can't wait to try it.

Love your reviews!!
 
Mmmm, Yak and Yeti. Great place!

That Pina Colada looks mighty tasty there. Perfect choice for a hot day.

Of course dessert was in your future! Because it's seriously incredible stuff.

I like the idea of just ordering sides for lunch. I'm going to have to do that in the future.
 
I'd love to try Yak and Yeti! Those dessert wontons look amazing!!! I like how you think… a little snack and then the good stuff! :thumbsup2
 
I am still bitter about my stone cold fruit wontons from Y&Y :(

Maybe I will give them another chance one day ;)
 
Hi Brenda! Just wanted to check in and apologize for falling behind (unfortunately that isn't changing tonight). :laughing: Those Yak & Yeti wontons look great. Haven't had that dish in several years, but I remember really enjoying it. :thumbsup2
 
I meant to "sign in" earlier but I don't think I actually got to post yet! I have been reading along though. I want to become a more adventurous eater so I'm enjoying your descriptions of everything!

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