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

[emmysmommy]

Oh wow I do those half bows by instinct also.
My DH surprised me on our trip in 2007 with a KTTK tour (I had surprised him on the trip before in 2005). The pin is one of my most favorite souvenir from Disney! I keep it on the kitchen window sill and see it every time I am standing there washing dishes. It's my encouragement to do the dishes every night.
The sandwich looks really good.

Hi there! How awesome that you were able to do the tour more than once. I loved it! I love your dishes motivation. Disney really did a great job on that pin design. I need a clever way to feature my pin so maybe I'll borrow your incentive plan and put it on my treadmill!!

The sandwich was good for me. I can see why some people may not like it with all the gooeyness but I'm on a hummus love kick so it was great.

BTW, just signed on for your review. I'm glad I happened to see it.

They grey stuff is in a cupcake called The Master's Cupcake. Here is the link to some info about it:
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013/...tes-at-disney-worlds-be-our-guest-restaurant/

I haven't tried it. In fact, I haven't had any of the desserts there, yet.

Aha! Thank you for sharing that! Oh man, it's on a chocolate cupcake. I don't think that will be on my list to try.

You've never tried any of their desserts? That would take extraordinary will power on my behalf for that to happen.

I cannot believe this was your first visit to CHH. It is one of our favorite counter services in all of WDW. I've never had the sandwich you did (I don't eat tuna or hummus), but Mark has and he loves it. I normally get the shrimp here and it's not bad at all for counter service. The place is very deceiving in size until you actually go upstairs.

We got those same cards and pins.

Cute pic of you and Em.

Yes, indeed. We'd never been there. I wanted to go back and try the apple dessert but we didn't make it back there during that trip. I love shrimp but as noted in my review wasn't sure it would be served hot so I passed.

I would not have guessed that the restaurant was so large at all. I was quite surprised. It's like my house....smaller downstairs than upstairs.

Love the pins!

CHH is a great CS area and love the upstairs where its normally quieter! I haven't tried the hummus sandwich but the tuna is a nice change from all the fried food.

Jill in CO

Hi Jill! I think it's quieter too and the view from the windows is great. I'll definitely be back to try more of their offerings. I was glad this was included in the tour since it got us to try something new for a change.

Hi

I don't believe I have posted in your thread, but I have been reading your reviews for quite awhile now and just thought i'd finally say hi and let you know that I love your thread!

It definitely has given us ideas on places to visit on our next trip, which is sadly sometime in 2015. I believe we will be giving Whispering Canyon a shot on the next trip- i've heard great breakfast reviews but only thought they had the buffet. I'm glad to see that you can order from a menu & the buffet is just another option. It seems like they have a ton of yummy choices!

Also, we loved Columbia Harbor House! I ordered the salmon and I must say that it is some of the best salmon i've ever had. Definitely one of the best QS locations in Disney!

Keep up the great reviews! I can't wait to see more!

Hi Dislover! I'm so glad that you are here and following along! Thank you for those kind words.

Whispering Canyon Café is a favorite breakfast of ours (we've not tried lunch or dinner so I can't weigh in on that.) If they have a buffet either that's new or I'm not paying attention. I love their waffles and French toast so nothing else really catches my eye anyway.

That's quite a compliment for Disney to get such high marks for salmon at a CS restaurant. They must do something right for so many people to compliment it. I've seen photos but not tried it... I'm a fish-aphobe so it will probably be never before I try it! (I really should expand my horizons since I'll eat the creepy crawly and shelled things from the sea but not the swimmy things.) I'll be back at CHH since I want to try their shrimp and that apple dessert.

Thank you again! You are so sweet!

Sorry to be jumping in so late! Your reviews are fantastic, and have totally swayed some of my plans for our Disneymoon!

Keep the delicious reviews coming!

Hi Kate! No problem joining... it's never too late to talk about Disney dining!! I'm so very glad that you are letting me know you are here! Thank you!

I have so many people here on the dining boards to thank for their influence in their reviews. Almost every restaurant that we originally booked years ago were due to reviews here.

I hope you enjoy your Disneymoom planning! How exciting to be able to go to WDW to celebrate such a great occasion.

 

[emmysmommy]

How great that you got to do the KTTK tour!! I love the pin.

CHH is one of those places I always mean to try and then forget about.

We loved that tour!! We'd done the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour at DL and this was close to that experience so we signed up. I definitely recommend it.

I tend to overlook some of the CS options at MK since we love LTT and Plaza Restaurant but we'll be back.

Great updates! The temps here are in the single digits today and your description of the soup at LC is making me crave it badly - would sure hit the spot! I love the steak at Kona, I think that's the only entree I've ever ordered there. Still have yet to make it there for breakfast. DD loves the characters at 'Ohana still but someday when she outgrows that we'll be able to make way for a Kona breakfast...although that'll be bittersweet I suppose. I love the Lighthouse Sandwich at CHH and it has the side benefit of making me feel like I'm being healthy when I eat it!

Thanks! Wow, that's cold. I would wear my robe all day long and not feel guilty! (I haven't turned the heat on in my home in 2 years. It just doesn't get that cold in So. California.)

I'm with you... love the LC soup and I've not ordered anything but the steak for dinner at Kona. Awwww I'm sure you'll have great memories of 'Ohana but hopefully you'll love Kona breakfast. I certainly do.

I love guilt free eating... makes having that afternoon cupcake much more enjoyable!

I have never been in CHH either, but that sandwich looks amazing! I wish I had someone in my family who might be willing to share it with me! MAN! I would LOVE to do that tour one day! I could see Corey and I loving that.

Thanks for the head's up that the Grey Stuff is in the cupcake!! Woohoo!

Hi Christen! Yeah, that sandwich is pretty big. At least it would have been enough to share but I know Em won't do that next time. And my DH.. no way would he split a sandwich.

The tour was wonderful. That is coming up after the Dream Suite post...well, a couple days after actually.

Now that I know the grey stuff is on a chocolate cupcake I'm bummed.. I don't like chocolate cake so that won't find it's way on my plate. As long as they still have the strawberry cupcakes I'll be fine.

Hooray, you've answered a question I've had since we ate at Columbia Harbour House twice in November. We took our meals upstairs both times and noticed the roped off area on our first visit. I wondered who were the special people that came into that area and had their lunches brought to them there! The second time we went we used the other set of stairs and didn't notice whether the section you ate in was roped off again that day. BTW, I had the Anchor's Aweigh (tuna) sandwich with those yummy chips. My Friday sandwich was wonderful; the following Wednesday they were not as generous with the tuna salad and it was made with bread that seemed to be a few days old versus the wonderful bread I had on the first visit.

Aha! Glad I could help.

Oh no. Stale bread with skimpy portion... That may make you nervous to try it again.

I just reviewed CHH as well I wish I had eaten the chips instead of the fries they gave us, they weren't very good.

Hi Lori! You know where I'm heading next!! I didn't know they serve it with fries. I may have gone for those since I love the ones from Plaza Restaurant and LTT. I would hope they are the same. No? Sorry about that.

 

[Samandmom]

Hi there! How awesome that you were able to do the tour more than once. I loved it! I love your dishes motivation. Disney really did a great job on that pin design. I need a clever way to feature my pin so maybe I'll borrow your incentive plan and put it on my treadmill!!

The sandwich was good for me. I can see why some people may not like it with all the gooeyness but I'm on a hummus love kick so it was great.

BTW, just signed on for your review. I'm glad I happened to see it.

:

Oh I wish I did the tour twice!! . Sorry if I explained it wrong. What I meant was I surprised my DH and nephew in 2005 (we were celebrating our anniversary and nephews birthday). I had to stay with the little ones.
When we returned in 2007 again we were celebrating our anniversary and nephew's birthday and DH surprised me and nephew. So actually my nephew went twice!! Lucky him! DH figured it would be more fun if I went with someone I knew. My son can't wait to turn 16 to go!

Hmmm good idea maybe its time for me to move my pin to my treadmill also!

 

[emmysmommy]

Oh I wish I did the tour twice!! . Sorry if I explained it wrong. What I meant was I surprised my DH and nephew in 2005 (we were celebrating our anniversary and nephews birthday). I had to stay with the little ones.
When we returned in 2007 again we were celebrating our anniversary and nephew's birthday and DH surprised me and nephew. So actually my nephew went twice!! Lucky him! DH figured it would be more fun if I went with someone I knew. My son can't wait to turn 16 to go!

Hmmm good idea maybe its time for me to move my pin to my treadmill also!

Oh I get it! ha ha! I assume a lot sometimes! I want to take my DH on the tour sometime next year but I'd do it solo too.

 

[Dislover1991]

Hi there! How awesome that you were able to do the tour more than once. I loved it! I love your dishes motivation. Disney really did a great job on that pin design. I need a clever way to feature my pin so maybe I'll borrow your incentive plan and put it on my treadmill!!

The sandwich was good for me. I can see why some people may not like it with all the gooeyness but I'm on a hummus love kick so it was great.

BTW, just signed on for your review. I'm glad I happened to see it.



Aha! Thank you for sharing that! Oh man, it's on a chocolate cupcake. I don't think that will be on my list to try.

You've never tried any of their desserts? That would take extraordinary will power on my behalf for that to happen.



Yes, indeed. We'd never been there. I wanted to go back and try the apple dessert but we didn't make it back there during that trip. I love shrimp but as noted in my review wasn't sure it would be served hot so I passed.

I would not have guessed that the restaurant was so large at all. I was quite surprised. It's like my house....smaller downstairs than upstairs.

Love the pins!



Hi Jill! I think it's quieter too and the view from the windows is great. I'll definitely be back to try more of their offerings. I was glad this was included in the tour since it got us to try something new for a change.



Hi Dislover! I'm so glad that you are here and following along! Thank you for those kind words.

Whispering Canyon Café is a favorite breakfast of ours (we've not tried lunch or dinner so I can't weigh in on that.) If they have a buffet either that's new or I'm not paying attention. I love their waffles and French toast so nothing else really catches my eye anyway.

That's quite a compliment for Disney to get such high marks for salmon at a CS restaurant. They must do something right for so many people to compliment it. I've seen photos but not tried it... I'm a fish-aphobe so it will probably be never before I try it! (I really should expand my horizons since I'll eat the creepy crawly and shelled things from the sea but not the swimmy things.) I'll be back at CHH since I want to try their shrimp and that apple dessert.

Thank you again! You are so sweet!

Oh goodness, now I feel stupid I guess I saw where Whispering Canyon has the all you care to eat skillet and assumed it was a buffet. I was wondering why I never saw a buffet section when we visited the Wilderness Lodge last month to look at the Christmas decor

Oh, my name is Ashton by the way!!

 

[scottny]

Never been in CHH but one day I will and I will get that sandwich. It looked good.

 

[emmysmommy]

Oh goodness, now I feel stupid I guess I saw where Whispering Canyon has the all you care to eat skillet and assumed it was a buffet. I was wondering why I never saw a buffet section when we visited the Wilderness Lodge last month to look at the Christmas decor

Oh, my name is Ashton by the way!!

Hi Ashton (now I don't have to say, hey, you!) No worries at all. I should have made the connection between the all-you-care-to-eat skillets and your comment. I've not ordered the skillet so it wasn't on my radar.

Don't you love the Christmas decorations on the WL tree. The teepees and all the frontier and wildernessy ornaments were so unique and interesting. I'm glad I was able to see it in all its holiday splendor.

Never been in CHH but one day I will and I will get that sandwich. It looked good.

Definitely keep it on your one day list. I think they may be able to sub some sides as well. If you are not into the chips or fries they have coleslaw, broccoli, and something else. Just warning you it is a huge sandwich.

 

[pumba]

thank you so much for your reviews and photos.

I still have my pin from our tour ..we did order the shrimp and fries and it was hot but not that it would burn my tongue ..just right..

Thanks for your reviews again

 

[angelsmith52]

This has been a wonderful dining report! I have enjoyed your photos and descriptions! Thanks for sharing with us!

 

[smile4stamps]

I'm here and caught up! Sorry no comments as I actually read it a few days ago but have no memory of what I wanted to say!!

 

[wilma-bride]

Sorry that Em didn't enjoy the sandwich. Sian's favourite is the Anchors Aweigh sandwich there since she loves tuna mayonnaise. Columbia Harbour House (I love that it is the 'English' spelling of 'harbour') is our favourite counter service at Magic Kingdom.

I am seriously considering the KTTK tour with Sian in March, would you say it's worth it?

 

[peachmermaid]

Caught up, my friend!

Those pretzel rolls & friendly Canadians win me over real fast! It's a bummer lunch is just as expensive as dinner.

Kona looks super yummy!! Those pancakes look so yummy! I really need to add this place to my wish list.

Liberty Tree for lunch! That toffee dessert looks amazing & guess who just found out he loves toffee?

Be our guest looks just spectacular & even if the food is touch & go, I will certainly deal for a meeting with the Beast. Also, thank goodness I showed Rich the picture of you guys with the beast because it made him remember that he didn't make a reservation for it.

Thank you for sharing this with us! I love hearing about the foods I should try or stay away from in the world.

 

[princess_momma]

Oh BoG…I want to enjoy the themeing so badly but the food scares me. I still NEED to make it there one day I know, but it definitely wasn't a priority this past trip. I'm glad that your strawberry cupcake was at least enjoyable.

I think MK has so many great CS locations…one day I will have to try them all! And I will demand those chips if I ever go to CHH!

 

[emmysmommy]

thank you so much for your reviews and photos.

I still have my pin from our tour ..we did order the shrimp and fries and it was hot but not that it would burn my tongue ..just right..

Thanks for your reviews again

Ahhh I'm glad to hear from someone who enjoyed a hot dish. Sounds like they work out the timing very good.

Isn't that pin fabulous? I need a Disney pin board for my special pins even though I don't do pin trading.

Thanks for reading!

This has been a wonderful dining report! I have enjoyed your photos and descriptions! Thanks for sharing with us!

Thank you so much. How very kind of you to say.

I'm here and caught up! Sorry no comments as I actually read it a few days ago but have no memory of what I wanted to say!!

No worries Paula! We talk food enough that you get a pass!

Sorry that Em didn't enjoy the sandwich. Sian's favourite is the Anchors Aweigh sandwich there since she loves tuna mayonnaise. Columbia Harbour House (I love that it is the 'English' spelling of 'harbour') is our favourite counter service at Magic Kingdom.

I am seriously considering the KTTK tour with Sian in March, would you say it's worth it?

Joh!!! So nice to see you here!

There's a lot of fans of the Anchors Aweigh sandwich on the dining boards.

Yes, it is spelled weird! I definitely need to go back since I missed trying the apple dessert. I would definitely say the tour is worth it. They do AP discounts and I think DVC as well.

Caught up, my friend!

Those pretzel rolls & friendly Canadians win me over real fast! It's a bummer lunch is just as expensive as dinner.

Kona looks super yummy!! Those pancakes look so yummy! I really need to add this place to my wish list.

Liberty Tree for lunch! That toffee dessert looks amazing & guess who just found out he loves toffee?

Be our guest looks just spectacular & even if the food is touch & go, I will certainly deal for a meeting with the Beast. Also, thank goodness I showed Rich the picture of you guys with the beast because it made him remember that he didn't make a reservation for it.

Thank you for sharing this with us! I love hearing about the foods I should try or stay away from in the world.

Hi Jennifer!

It is a bit disappointing about the Le Cellier lunch prices but I can guarantee I will develop a craving for that mushroom filet at some point and book it for dinner! May as well go with the craving and suck it up. That and the fact that Michael really liked this place.

You've not tried Kona breakfast? You should. Definitely should.

Ha ha! There's a difference between ordinary toffee and toffee in the ooey gooey toffee cake. It's good enough to win over the worst toffee hater in my opinion. That's funny that Richard liked it.

As tough as I am on BoG I really need to try a different entrée and give it another try. Let's be honest, the theming is so spectacular that I'd return to dine in the castle, meet the Beast, and have one of those strawberry cupcakes. I'm not that disgusted!

Oh BoG…I want to enjoy the themeing so badly but the food scares me. I still NEED to make it there one day I know, but it definitely wasn't a priority this past trip. I'm glad that your strawberry cupcake was at least enjoyable.

I think MK has so many great CS locations…one day I will have to try them all! And I will demand those chips if I ever go to CHH!

Hi Kimmy! Try BoG and form your own opinion. There are some great reviews as well so it could be me! I've heard the pork is good so if that's your thing it is a suggestion. Seriously, the theming is enough for me to say try it once.

I still have Casey's Corner corn dog nuggets on my must try list but I also need to go back to CHH for the apple dessert as I noted above.

 

[emmysmommy]

Day 12: Tuesday August 27, 2013 - Garden View Lounge Afternoon Tea​

After reading several reviews for Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian’s Garden View Lounge we finally booked an afternoon of mother daughter tea time. What really compelled me to try this was two of the dining boards regulars – Jabead (Barb) who had done the tea a couple times with her daughters and Smile4stamps (Paula) who had enjoyed tea with her husband. If her hubby could look very cool with his pinkie up at tea, I thought we could pull this off too.

I will say this up front – It was awesome. Being the proper ladies that we are of course we fit right in.

Tea is served until 5pm (during the summer hours it was 2-5pm, I believe during the holidays the hours were extended.) We had a 4pm ADR; however, there was a bit of a wait since they were still quite busy. Sitting in the lobby of the Grand Floridian soaking up all that wonderful ambiance wasn’t a problem at all for the 20 minutes that we did have to wait. In fact, there was lovely piano music being played upstairs.

Once seated by the window we were introduced to Rachael, who was our extremely friendly and helpful server.

Table:

Menu:

Tea choices:

Choices, choices, choices

After reviewing the menu and tea options we both ordered the Buckingham ($25 per person.) This option included 5 finger sandwiches and some dessert options along with your choice of tea. For my sandwich selection I asked to make a substitution for the salmon and that wasn’t a problem. I jokingly asked how many adults sub PB&J for something and she said “you’d be surprised – all the time.” Ok, then I want PB&J too!

For my tea selection I followed her suggestion and ordered a coconut spice rooibos tea that reminded me of a pina colada on a tropical vacation. It was very fragrant and delicate tasting. I forget the name but it sounded tropical. I also asked if I could order something from the bar which was no problem. Just so you know it wasn’t a Long Island Ice Tea at Tea!

Em ordered the sandwiches without swapping out any of them and chose the Garden View blend tea. I would share the description of the Assam and floral notes but it looks like Greek to me so I’ll just move on.

Our tea arrived followed by our first course of finger sandwiches and an onion tart. Since tea is not meant to be a meal replacement by any means just don’t be alarmed at how small the sandwiches are. They call them finger sandwiches for a reason.

Our server brought us tea cozies a little later

Note: So many sandwich photos since I was trying to show what was in each of them from a different angle

Egg Salad

In order of how I ate them and my remarks at the time:

1. Cucumber watercress with cream cheese on white bread: So very traditional and very delicious. I could have had a dozen of those alone.
2. Egg salad with onion on white bread: Excellent! It had a bit of onion in it if I recall correctly. No spoiler for me there.
3. Chicken curry salad on marble: uhh ok, but I’m not a fan of curry so that explains it. Although after the first couple of bites I really started to like it and even ate the rest of Em’s chicken curry sandwich. So guess what, I think I acquired a taste for chicken curry within about 60 seconds.
4. Pear and gorgonzola on white: Just ok. It reminded me of eating a salad.
5. Last but not least, PB&J on white bread: just like being a kid at school eating a sandwich for which mom sliced the crust off the bread. You can’t do better than this. And for those who are curious, it was strawberry jam.

My favorite sandwich was actually the egg salad followed by the cucumber and watercress.

The onion tart was interesting… I hadn’t had anything like that before. It was caramelized onion for a savory/sweet taste. I liked it although Em tasted it and said uhhh no thanks.

The next course was a plate with a strawberry jam tart and a white raisin scone served with clotted cream, lemon curd, and strawberry preserves. I loved the shortbread crust of the tart. Oh so good! I sampled the clotted cream and passed that over to try the lemon curd. Oh. My. Gosh. I adore that stuff. I ate my scone with half lemon curd and half strawberry preserves. It would have been all lemon curd if I hadn’t taken my spoon and eaten it like pudding. I should have asked for extra like the lady at the table next to us. In fact, I should have asked for a to-go box and ordered a dozen of those with a pint of lemon curd. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’m obsessed with that stuff.

Ok, so you get that I liked it. The final “course” was a choice of trifle, strawberries and cream or a couple selections from the pastry tray. We both opted for the strawberries and cream; although our server offered Em a selection from the pastry tray even though not a part of the “package.”

She picked the torte type layer cake which I believe had a marzipan filling. It was very good and such a delicately and artfully created treat.

The strawberries and cream was topped with the Grand Floridian logo in red sugar on top. Such a beautiful presentation. I must have taken about a dozen photos of this alone. Here’s a couple of my favorites.

Lounge:

Tea took about an hour and half between the courses so it is a very relaxed pace. (For comparison, our tea for our last December trip took over 2 hours but we had a larger party at our table.) They accept TiW for which we saved $10.

This was a great dining experience and something on my Must Do list. That item was checked off with pleasure!!

Next Up: The Wave Breakfast
​

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Your tea time looks fantastic! It's on my Disney bucket list. I need to find a way to black mail Rob into doing this with me next trip.

The strawberries and cream look lovely. I think I would have to try those. Your tea sounds really good too. I think that's the type of tea I would try as well.

Good for you for getting the pb&j! There is no better way to transport yourself back to childhood like eating a pb&j. Especially with the crusts cut off.

Fantastic update!

 

[jedijill]

Tea is a must do for me! I love the lemon curd too! I heard that this is the second recipe....the Austrian pastry chef tried the first one and thought it was awful so he gave them his grandmother's recipe. I think it's a winner!

Jill in CO

 

[Miss Potts]

Love this update! Afternoon Tea has been on my radar for awhile now... I really want to do it after seeing all your great photos! It's only fitting when I go that I order Mrs. Potts tea

 

[jmm476]

I can't wait until DD is old enough to go to tea at the GF with me! It always looks so lovely and relaxing in the reviews. And I happen to be one of those people that occasionally brings pb&j with me to work because it's still one of my favorite lunch items.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[KatMark]

Tea time with Emily looks absolutely lovely. Unfortunately, I don't drink tea, but Mary and I are thinking of taking the girls there one afternoon...we thought they would get a kick out of it.