3 trips in 40 days: LET'S EAT! (tandem reviews): FLYING FISH CAFE! [updated 7/3/13]

emmebear

nurse & mommy.
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
hello everyone. :cool1:

after cruising concierge on the fantasy in january, i am experiencing disney withdrawals & have scheduled 3 trips in the next 40 days. i'm going to combine my dining reviews on this one thread.


TRIP 1: 3.2.13 - 3.3.13

3/2/13: attending the "Beats, Brew & BBQ" event at seaworld as Hall & Oates will be having a concert @ 4pm. i mean really, who can deny the power of the mustache of john oates?! plus, i'm a glutton for 80's music & craft beer. we won't be visiting the parks this weekend as we're headed to the parks next thursday!

DINNER: 'OHANA (but after viewing WISHES from the beach at the polynesian)


3/3/13:

BREAKFAST:
CAPE MAY CAFE [so emme can have her disney fix]




TRIP 2: 3.7.13 - 3.10.13


my mom, DD emme, & me on board the fantasy. dad (not pictured)


i am surprising my parents & daughter with a trip to disney. we will be staying at the 2 BR presidential suite/condo, tower 6 at the wydham bonnet creek. i'm also very excited to be taking my mother as she is an avid gardener & will really enjoy the flower festival @ epcot.

i'm still finalizing our ADR's but i can't wait to try all the food booths & drinks & experience disney with my parents & daughter. my parents took me to disney for the first time when i was 10 & now i am returning the favor.


Day 1: Arrival Night [March 7, 2013]

DINNER: Home cooked deliciousness in the condo.


Day 2: Epcot Day [March 8, 2013]

BREAKFAST: Princess Storybook Dining @ Akershus
LUNCH: Snacks at the Flower & Garden Festival
DINNER: Snacks at the Flower & Garden Festival


Day 3: Magic Kingdom Day [March 9, 2013]

BREAKFAST: Crystal Palace (pre-park opening ADR)
LUNCH: Cosmic Rays
DINNER: Snacks at the Flower & Garden Festival


Day 4: Departure day [March 10, 2013]

BREAKFAST: Condo
LUNCH: Korea House




TRIP 3: 4.11.13 - 4.15.13



photo courtesy of rachel


this is a special trip planned with fellow disboard member rachel09985. we had such a fantastic time during our dismeet in january that we planned a longer trip together! :thumbsup2 she also loves photography like me so it will be really interesting to see our pictures from the trip as we both shoot with canon dslr's. :wizard:

we will be staying at the royal guest room at port orleans & have some fantastic ADR's lined up....a few which will be new to the both of us. it's been really fun planning a trip with someone who loves disney other than my 3 year old. also, we'll be attending the epcot flower festival & will be devouring the food & drinks @ the booths.

our latest adventure planned: monorail "pub" crawl. :laughing:

we have so many fun things planned!!



here are our confirmed ADR's for this trip:


Day 1: Arrival Afternoon [April 11, 2013]

DINNER: Hollywood Brown Derby

after dinner, we will be attending Fantasmic!


Day 2: Epcot Day [April 12, 2013]

BREAKFAST: Supercalifragilistic Breakfast @ 1900 Park Fare
LUNCH: Snacks at the Flower & Garden Festival
DINNER: Snacks at the Flower & Garden Festival

we have also talked about possibly making a pit stop at "TUTTO GUSTO" for a cheese platter or two.


Day 3: Magic Kingdom Day [April 13, 2013]

BREAKFAST: Chef Mickey's Fun Time Buffet Breakfast @ The Contemporary
LUNCH: Garden View Tea Room @ The Grand Floridian
DINNER: CS in Magic Kingdom

we also have reservations for the TOMORROWLAND TERRACE DESSERT PARTY as well & participating in our own MONORAIL PUB CRAWL!!:rotfl:


Day 4: Animal Kingdom Day [April 14, 2013]

BREAKFAST: Snacks!
LUNCH: Sanaa
DINNER: Flying Fish Cafe


Day 5: Departing day [April 13, 2013]
BREAKFAST: Coffee in the room
LUNCH: BOG




happy eating everyone!! :dance3:
 
I am definitely in! The 3rd trip sounds the most fun:thumbsup2

Although I am looking forward to the first two too! It will be nice to see some food pics before our trip.

Lol haha i just saw the monorail pub crawl comment! We are loopy, but it is fun
 
Looking forward to this review! Ad I just have to know.... How is it that you practically live at disney!?!
 
MickeyGs said:
Looking forward to this review! Ad I just have to know.... How is it that you practically live at disney!?!


I live 2 hours away & it takes strategic planning & coordination. :) I am a Passholder & I also use a TIW card for meals. I do quick trips...I wish I could stay a week or longer but I'm limited on time. :(. I'm going to try & stay a week in August for my birthday.

Thanks for joining in...time to pack! :)
 


Dontcha wish Disney had a rewards program? I do!! :) I know you get perks with being a passholder and then in turn get TIW, but I mean for hotel stays. We sometimes do trips without the parks for various reasons.
I'm waiting for you to say you're moving into Cinderella's Castle any day now. ;)
Anyway, I love following your dining reviews and your wonderful family. Emme is just so precious! Your trips sound like so much fun, I have to say I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip with Rachael. Fun!
 
minniebeth said:
Dontcha wish Disney had a rewards program? I do!! :) I know you get perks with being a passholder and then in turn get TIW, but I mean for hotel stays. We sometimes do trips without the parks for various reasons.
I'm waiting for you to say you're moving into Cinderella's Castle any day now. ;)
Anyway, I love following your dining reviews and your wonderful family. Emme is just so precious! Your trips sound like so much fun, I have to say I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip with Rachael. Fun!


i totally wish there was a disney rewards program! that would be so awesome.

Disney hotels are outrageous especially since you spend so little time in them. I've gotten great rates on values with my AP discount ($69 for all star movies & pop) but for the most part, they are crazy expensive & small. We splurged on port Orleans royal guest bedroom as Rachel & I are splitting it but its expensive still...however, might as well experience it once, right? :)

Lately, I've been staying off site & have lucked out on Hotwire & VRBO as I have a car & the hotel is just minutes away. Sometimes I will get free parking (depending on the mood of the parking ticket cashier) but I don't mind paying the $14 as I save $$ & time with staying offsite & using my car. I love the freedom of just getting in my car to leave whenever I want. I did the buses once & it wasn't for me.

My dad is diabetic so we will be cooking in our condo at bonnet creek. I booked that listing using VRBO & saved a bundle. My stay in the 2 BR presidential suite/condo is cheaper than my stay at port Orleans by $300. That's nuts!

The trip with Rachel is going to be outrageously fun! Emme talks about her all the time. I am so excited for it. I'm trying to convince her to cruise with us...I'm a Disney pusher..,haha!

Thanks for reading along & the wonderful comments about my family. I am truly blessed & forever grateful.
 
I am definitely in! The 3rd trip sounds the most fun:thumbsup2

Although I am looking forward to the first two too! It will be nice to see some food pics before our trip.

Lol haha i just saw the monorail pub crawl comment! We are loopy, but it is fun


monorail pub crawl is going to be super amazing! we should make shirts that say "i survived the monorail pub crawl!" :rotfl:
 


Its lucky you live so close. I'm about 3 hrs away so I'm loving being able to go as much I possible.
 
It's so nice that you live closeby and can go more frequently, even for a short while to get those magic fixes! It's nice to have a car for flexibility as well. We have friends that usually stay off property at Bonnet Creek and love it.

DD11 and I just stayed in the POR Royal Room in January with a 3 way split stay and it was her favorite! I do love the rooms and the resort there. When we checked into the Wilderness Lodge, DD cried and said she wished were were still staying at the RR Guest Rooms. :)
I think you will enjoy it!
 
...our ADR was at 1030 for cape may breakfast. Its 1055 & we are still waiting. Pretty crappy way to end such a great weekend. I'm starving! :(
 
updated 3/3/13



'OHANA


we left for orlando & after checking into our condo, we headed to seaworld for the "beats, brew & bbq" event featuring a concert with hall & oates. i'm not a huge hall & oates fan but i am a total glutton for 80's music & craft beer so this was going to be a fantastic time. i was even more excited to see the mustache of john oates!


photo23-2_zps8100aaae.jpg



the weather was pretty chilly for florida standards. the weather peaked at about 60 degrees but it was very windy. when we left seaworld, it was 47 degrees & very windy.

we had some time before the start of the concert. we explored the parks & enjoyed our craft beers. i wanted to try some bbq but after seeing "sonny's bbq" & "tony romo's" as an option for bbq, i passed on eating at seaworld & decided to stuff my face at 'ohana instead. i was really hoping for some delicious local bbq fare but for the most part, it wasn't. i was kind of disappointed.


IMG_8359_zpsbfb428f4.jpg

pretty starfish


the concert was really really fun. it was spectacular to see people letting loose & rocking out. emme fell asleep before the concert but woke up 30 minutes into the show. hall & oates had 2 encores & played their greatest hit including a 10 minute rendition of "i can't go for that" (which i thought was pretty fantastic!). the sad part of the entire show was that john oates no longer had a mustache. SO SAD!


photo48-2_zpsaa837030.jpg

emme & i enjoying the concert.


we departed seaworld close to 7pm. our adr to 'ohana wasn't until 930. emme wanted some ramen noodles to hold her over. ramen seemed like the perfect choice on a weather like this. she's a really picky & simple eater so i'm glad she wanted to eat something. we had some fruit & beer to hold us over until our adr.


photo29-2_zps35c31bc2.jpg



we arrived to the polynesian about 45 minutes before our ADR. since i was using my TIW card, i valeted the car. TIW members get FREE valet! it's an awesome feature of the program.


photo28-2_zpse21b631a.jpg



side note: all these pictures are taken with my iphone. i did not want to bring my dslr to dinner as i wanted to EAT!


we headed to the gift shop as my friend wanted to buy a stitch doll for her boyfriend. look who we ran into at the gift shop....


photo30-2_zpsd413e9b0.jpg

mickey & minnie in hawaiian attire....mini actually hulas in her skirt.


after checking in, about 10 minutes later, our pager went off. i could not believe we were being sat 25 minutes before our ADR time!



photo31-2_zpsef7af0b6.jpg

emme & her new baby ariel.



we were promptly greeted by a CM who gives us a quick run down of what's to come. this was my second trip to 'ohana but my friends first visit. the CM grabs the pineapple bread.


photo32-2_zps12659dd7.jpg

PINEAPPLE BREAD



after we were seated, it took about 10 minutes for a CM to greet us & take our drink orders. i think she was slightly overwhelmed as many of her tables were paying their tabs when we were seated.

next up....


photo33-2_zps757b9cc2.jpg

Mixed Greens with Honey-Lime dressing

i normally consider this salad a filler but i was so hungry that i dug right in. the salad was very refreshing! it had mandarin orange slices as well as what i think is papaya on top of the salad. it was very tasty!



....and here comes:


photo36-2_zps482ebff3.jpg

Pork fried dumplings & Corriander chicken wings


the dumplings were as good as i remembered. i just ate the middle of all my dumplings. i even asked for seconds which really is a mistake as they bring you an entire plate full of dumplings & i hate wasting food. the first batch of dumplings were lukewarm but the second batch were very hot.

i still have issues with the chicken wings. i love a crispy chicken wing but just like last time, the skin was a bit soggy. i think it's probably the sauce that the wings are tossed in & then the wings probably sit for a little bit of time. also, the wings tasted like cinnamon this time. the sauce was definitely sticky & i was grateful for the very hot towels to wipe my hands after.



and the drink i was looking forward to the most during this trip:


photo35-2_zpsd93950b1.jpg

LAPU LAPU $13.00

the drink reminds me of a long island ice tea in the manner that i'm sure there's a ton of different alcohol mixed into this fresh pineapple....i tasted a ton of rum. the drink definitely hit the spot.


photo38-2_zps93816130.jpg

mmmmmm lapu, lapu.



after the wings, we were presented more filler:


photo37-2_zps20c7d00f.jpg

LO MEIN NOODLES & MIXED VEGGIES

the lo mein noodles were average in taste & the veggies were nothing spectacular. as i said earlier, more filler [less meat in the tummy].



i can't forget to mention the tasty peanut dipping sauce which seemed to taste good on everything. if my memory serves me right, i thought there were more dipping sauces on my last trip but honestly, i was so tired from our day at seaworld that i didn't even want to ask about the other sauces.


photo34-2_zpsafc30511.jpg

PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE



and here come the meats!


a CM brought over the pork & i passed on the pork. my friend said the pork was very tasty & not dry.


photo39-2_zps44fabd0a.jpg

Chicken

the chicken had great flavor but unfortunately, it was very dry. on my last trip, my chicken was very moist & flavorful. i was bummed out the chicken was so dry. even the peanut sauce could not save the chicken.


photo40-2_zpsd3cebbb2.jpg

meat, meat more meat!



after the disappointing chicken, i had low hopes on the sirloin.

photo41-2_zps31c02e1b.jpg

Marinated sirloin steak


photo42-2_zpseef43840.jpg

Marinated sirloin steak


to my great surprise, the steak was very juicy & cooked perfect. i was a very happy camper! i asked for seconds and the meat was also cooked perfect. yummy!



last but not least....

photo43-2_zps661ba392.jpg

Non-peeled shrimp

i loved the shrimp on my last visit & i loved the shrimp on this visit. it was a great vessel for the peanut sauce & i'm sure if i had the other sauces, it would have been even more delicious. the shell peels off pretty easily.


emme wanted no part of the meal or the offerings on the alternative menu which includes "Chicken nuggets, Macaroni & cheese, Grilled cheese sandwich, PB & J sandwich, Hamburger, or Cheeseburger". instead, she wanted a bowl of white rice...so she got a bowl of white rice.


photo44-2_zps3589e954.jpg

this would be my plate. doesn't look very pretty but for the most part, the food was quite tasty.



lastly,


photo46-2_zps99eaa6c1.jpg

'Ohana bread pudding a la mode with Banana Foster sauce.

the bread pudding was good although i'm not a sweets kind of person. i was really too full to enjoy any more food at this point. even my friend who is a huge dessert fan could not muster any more room for dessert.

the CM brought vanilla ice cream with sprinkles for emme. i didn't even ask her...that was really nice of her.



emme participated in the hula lesson during dinner as well.

photo47-2_zps9bfab144.jpg



we left 'ohana at about 1030 & i could not believe people were being seated up until 1010pm! that's insanity!!!

for two adults, one tinkerbell drink, & one lapu lapu, plus 18% gratuity the meal with my TIW discount was $91.00. i also received valet parking for free (a $15 value). the 2 drinks were $20 so if i had not ordered a drink, i think for the amount of food you receive & quality, it's definitely worth the price.

we were very full but very very tired & cold from our day at seaworld. the meal was good but i'm sure i would have appreciated it more if it was just a tad bit earlier & if i wasn't so exhausted. i'm not quite sure if i will return to dinner any time soon.

our CM was very nice as were every other CM who stopped at our table. it was also super great that we did not have to wait very long to be seated. the atmosphere was very friendly, homey & fun.






this is what i had for dinner tonight @ home:

photo21_zps618e6558.jpg

DDAK DORI TTANG: spicy korean chicken & potatoes.

this meal cost less than $10.00 to make and easily feeds 4 people. i'll take this over any meal at disney, any time of the day. ;)



up next, breakfast @ CAPE MAY
 
patiently waiting for your cape may breakfast review! planning on going there but want to see what you think about it!
 
I wish I could have Ohana every night. That Lapu Lapu is strong but yummy! I want some of those potstickers. I know you said the salad was good but I will really miss that honey lime dressing!
 
rizzo0904 said:
patiently waiting for your cape may breakfast review! planning on going there but want to see what you think about it!

I will be posting the update tonight as well as an update on my adr's! :)

Thanks for reading along.
 
rachel09985 said:
I wish I could have Ohana every night. That Lapu Lapu is strong but yummy! I want some of those potstickers. I know you said the salad was good but I will really miss that honey lime dressing!


Meat meat more meat!! :)
 
thanks so much for the review...
BUT I would love your recipe of your chicken dish you made...looks awesome..

IN all our years going to Disney, we have never been to OHana...been to the Luau 7 or so times...

Thanks again
 
thanks so much for the review...
BUT I would love your recipe of your chicken dish you made...looks awesome..

IN all our years going to Disney, we have never been to OHana...been to the Luau 7 or so times...

Thanks again


there are recipes online but it's not how i make it. i will make a recipe for you. :thumbsup2
 
updated 3/5/13


before i begin, emme has become quite sick. i think it's viral as she's had a drastic temperature increase with a side of vomiting. i'm hoping she has a miraculous recovery by thursday morning or we will have to cancel our second trip. please keep her in your thoughts. she's totally miserable.



CAPE MAY CAFE BREAKFAST


photo23_zpsce72c3ca.jpg




since we did not go to a single park, i wanted to have a breakfast with the characters for emme. ADR's to cape may were readily available. our ADR was at 10:30am.

i visited cape may last august for breakfast & i waited about 25 minutes past my ADR to be seated. this time was no different. our ADR was 10:30 and we were buzzed at 10:56am. it was a total bummer as we were starving.


as we were waiting, we kept ourselves busy with a little exploring.


IMG_8507_zps3f22325f.jpg

emme and her spider-man pose.


side note: emme's recently become obsessed with spider-man. she's never seen spider-man but she loves the pose. i can say "spider-man pose" at any given point & she will bust out the pose below:


485385_10151312197754702_1093265504_n1_zpsaa68536f.jpg



417672_10151336018369702_107984190_n_zpsa1e7b328.jpg

emme & baby ariel



onwards to breakfast....


we were finally seated and was promptly greeted by adrienne. she was a really great CM & was super nice. we wanted to go to the buffet immediately as we were starving but donald was turning the corner so we waited for donald before getting our food.


IMG_8545_zps402b3f57.jpg




bring on the food!


emme's first plate of food:

IMG_8531_zps2111735b.jpg



IMG_8534_zps115de114.jpg

YUMMY!!



IMG_8538_zps75926e12.jpg

my friends first plate of food.

she really loved the salad as it was tossed in a bacon dressing. mmmmm bacon!



here's my first plate of food:

IMG_8539_zpsa9669208.jpg



IMG_8540_zpsd33fd0b4.jpg


i am a total sucker for smoked salmon, red onions & capers. mmmm mmmm! the (fake) egg frittata had sun dried tomatoes in it. there was some hollandaise sauce on the buffet so i dipped the frittata in it. who doesn't love hollandaise?? the sausage was awesome as good as i remembered from our last visit.



emme decided she wanted a waffle as well:

photo31_zpsbb9cbee1.jpg




before we could get our second servings, a friend visited our table.


IMG_8563_zps02d7fc2a.jpg



IMG_8566_zpsb757d741.jpg



IMG_8576_zps25c470cb.jpg

spider-man pose!



back to the food:


IMG_8542_zps6142f646.jpg


the homestyle potatoes were crispy as was the bacon. the bacon was on the thin side. the cheesy cheddar grits were heavenly. i added some pepper and absolutely loved them.



IMG_8597_zpsddfe01d8.jpg

emme decided to make me some lemonade. how thoughtful of her.


IMG_8522_zps9a4eb0af.jpg

baby ariel is hanging out with my 18-135mm lens.



oh yeah, one more plate of food.

IMG_8600_zpsf8644263.jpg

i got seconds on the grits, sausage and frittata. the eggs are scrambled with chorizo.



here comes goofy!

IMG_8589_zps5cd4d74d.jpg



minnie made her way back to our table:

13053_10151336114384702_1433494900_n_zps743eba51.jpg




photo26_zps435aa0ab.jpg

cool sand castle decor.


overall, the meal at cape may was very relaxing. we were never rushed despite being seated 26 minutes after our ADR. breakfast turned into brunch. the characters came by our table twice during the meal. we had a really awesome CM & she was wonderful.

another great thing about cape may is that you can draw on the table. there is white paper on the table so the kids can occupy themselves with some crayons and go to town.


photo22_zps6c29fb4a.jpg


the total meal was $51.58 with my 20% TIW discount & 18% gratuity. i also used the free valet service which is included with TIW membership. valet was a god send with the cold weather. it's a really nice perk.

i really enjoyed cape may breakfast. there are a ton of varieties which also included pastries, danishes, cereal, fruit, yogurt, granola, hot & cold items to satisfy everyone in your party. there isn't as much variety as crystal palace but cape may is a much more relaxing atmosphere.


after brunch, we took a short walk and found this:

photo28_zpsbda9b468.jpg




if emme feels better, we are back at disney on thursday. fingers crossed for a speedy recovery for emme. :cheer2:
 
Yum on that egg with chorizo! I love chorizo. Was it good?

Breakfast looked yummy, especially those eggs and Emme's fruit plate!
 
Yum on that egg with chorizo! I love chorizo. Was it good?

Breakfast looked yummy, especially those eggs and Emme's fruit plate!


cape may has a great breakfast despite the long wait we had with an adr. i'm a chorizo fan so i liked the (fake) scrambled eggs a lot. :)

just updated the ADR's for the last two trips!!

all packed & ready to go tomorrow!!!!

emme's feeling much better. she's not 100% but she no longer has a fever & has some of her energy back. pixiedust:
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Latest posts







facebook twitter
Top