A Mickey Bar a day makes everyone happy! Updated 06/07 Dinner at Ohana!

[suse66]

Hi all! I'm Susan and this is my first dining report. We are heading to the happiest place on earth in seven days! This is our first stay at the Beach Club and our first trip staying CL. Our previous trips to the World in 2009 (GF/DDP) and 2010 (Poly/DP). This trip we are going OOP as I am the proud mama to three Disney "adults" who don't necessarily eat like adults.

Cast of characters:

Me: Kindergarten teacher and proud mama to three gorgeous boys. Loves, loves, loves Disney although I had to be dragged there kicking and screaming on my first trip. Now I am a card carrying cult member, lol! Favourite ride: Haunted Mansion. favourite park: Epcot, best snack: Mickey Bars!, favourite restaurant: V&A.

DH: Career transition consultant and all round great dad. His first Disney trip was in 1973 and he has been a fan ever since! Favourite park: MK, favourite ride: Emchanted Tiki room, best snack: Mickey bars!, favourite restaurant: V&A.

DS1 (14), Grade 9 student.This is his third Disney trip. Favourite park: Epcot, favourite ride: ToT, favourite food: hamburgers, favourite restaurant: O'hana.

DS2 (12), Grade 7 student. This is his third Disney trip. Favourite park: HS, favourite ride: ToT, favourite food: pizza, favourite restaurant: O'hana.

DS3 (12), Grade 7 student. This is his third Disney trip. Favouriute park: HS. favourite ride: ToT, favourite food: pizza, favourite restaurant: O'hana.

I am going to try to do some of the review live and hope that you will be able to join in and follow along!

 

[suse66]

ADR's....

Yachstsman Steakhouse dinner
Sci Fi diner lunch
Rose and Crown lunch
Liberty Tree Tavern lunch
Beaches and Cream ice cream for dinner!

Eating around the world at the F&G booths.

QS

Columbia Harbour House
Sunshine Seasons
Beach Club marketplace
Boardwalk Bakery
Hurricane Hanna's

Plus reviews on all the CL offerings!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Looking forward to your reviews! Have a magical trip!

 

[accountingbabe08]

subbing can't wait safe travels

 

[vettegirl]

Susan, I cannot wait to hear your review on BC CL and all the restaurants!!

 

[kastoney]

You had me at Mickey bars, subbing in...

 

[tluvstink]

I'm in!!!

Terri

 

[suse66]

Well three weeks ago today we set off on our 24 hour trek to the happiest place on Earth! We were crazy fools and drove straight through, leaving the Toronto area at 4:20 pm and arriving in Orlando at 5 pm the next day. After setting into our room for the night at Doubletree in Downtown Disney we decided to walk over for a bite to eat. After 24 hours in the van, it felt great to stretch out legs and enjoy the warm Florida evening. After soaking in the fun atmosphere of Downtown Disney we were starting to feel hungry and decided on Cookes of Dublin. After perusing the menu we made our yummy choices......
Beef and lamb pie for DH. He loved it! It was fresh, hot and delicious.

 

[suse66]

[GALLERY=][/GALLERY] I went for the fish sandwich, it was haddock with a light batter and served with the yummiest French fries. I loved it! DS 2 and 3 chose the fish and chips. They got the kids portion as even though they just turned 13, we find American serving sizes large and they were satisfied with the size of the kids meals or with splitting an adult entree a lot of the time. DS 1 picked the cheeseburger (a recurring theme, lol) and loved it. We all loved our meals and were happy to enjoy eating outside on a beautiful evening. We paid OOP and it was $62 for all 5 meals. A great start to our March Break!

 

[vettegirl]

Love the title! Yum Cookes of Dublin is sooo good! Can't wait to hear about your thoughts on the BC CL, we have stayed twice

 

[suse66]

After checking out of our Downtown Disney hotel and enjoying their buffet breakfast, we were on our way to check in at the Beach Club!! Soon we were driving under that beautiful sign and I will admit I was teary eyed. We pulled up to the front of the Beach Club, unloaded our suitcases and were whisked off to the 5th floor for check in. The new lounge is lovely and spacious. They were just finishing their breakfast offerings and we had the chance to enjoy a coffee while getting the details on our room. As it was only 10:00 am, our room was not yet ready. We had expected this and had packed a bag of swim gear in anticipation of an afternoon enjoying SAB. By around 1:00 the boys and my DH were ready for some lunch. There were runners going around the pool chairs with menus so we opted to spoil ourselves and have lunch delivered to us. DH ordered the lobster, shrimp and scallop roll. This was packed with nicely cooked seafood in a very light dressing and served on a fresh white roll. He enjoyed this very much and ranked it as one of his favourite lunches of the entire trip. DS1 ordered the cheeseburger which was perfectly cooked. That kid has never met a cheeseburger he didn't love! The twins decided on the kids hot dog meals served with french fries. It was just enough for them. I wasn't really hungry as I had such a filling breakfast so I opted to enjoy an offering from the bar.....a Banana Cabana. Fruity and refreshing with a nice little kick to it, this was the perfect drink to enjoy poolside in the 30C weather.

Up next..... dinner at the Yachtsman!

 

[suse66]

Our reservation was for 7:35 pm at The Yachtsman. Around 4 pm we heard alarm bells and fire engine sirens nearby but didn't really pay much attention to them.... well we should have! We arrived at the Yachtsman to find half their menu unavailable as they had a kitchen fire and were still trying to get everything sorted out. It wasn't so bad for the boys and my DH as they are all carnivores but I had my heart set on the scallops. I honestly felt like getting up and walking away but we decided to make the best of it. Our server was Barbara and she was lovely....I explained my concerns to her and she said she would speak to the chef and see if he might be able to do the scallops for me. The restaurant was very crowded and loud with lots of guests in casual.park attire. I guess I am a bit old fashioned but I do like to dress up a bit if I am going out for a nice meal and expect my children to do the same. We actually had a couple of servers come over and say how nice it was to see a family dressed nicely for dinner so I felt good about that.

Barbara came over for our drink orders and soon was by with oh so amazing onion pull apart rolls. OH my goodness..... they were so delicious! She confirmed that the chef would be able to do the scallops for me which I was thrilled about. DH went for the New York Strip Loin with the peppercorn sauce and cheddar baked potato. DS1 ordered the filet, choosing to have the sauce on the side and subbing out the mash for french fries.The filet was cooked to a perfect medium rare and he devoured it. DS2 had the kids mac and cheese which was orichette pasta in a rich, creamy sauce. He loved it! DS3 chose the kids steak skewer subbing out the mash for french fries. He enjoyed this but there were only about 4 pieces of steak on the skewer so DH shared some of his meal with him. Disney really needs to have more options for the 10-14 year old age group.

DS3 was the only one who chose dessert and was very happy with his chocolate pudding. DH and I went for the press pots of coffee which was absolutely delicious. We were heading off to MK for EMH so that little jolt of caffeine was much needed.

Overall thoughts on Yachtsman were mixed. Our server was lovely and the food was good but we just weren't wowed to the point that it would be a must do for us. We would probably return at some point but there are other restaurants we would like to experience first.

Pictures are in the next post...... still having technical issues....

 

[suse66]

The delicious rolls with roasted garlic and sea salt butter My oh so delicious scallops......

 

[suse66]

New York strip, kids pasta and the filet with French fries.

 

[kastoney]

Your Cookes of London food looks delicious. We've never been, may have to change that.

Yeah for club level!!!

I hadn't head that Yachtsman had a fire. Glad they could make the scallops for you and those rolls look delicious.

 

[pumba]

I am ready to eat some scallops too..those looked amazing...thanks for the reviews so far...

 

[suse66]

This was our first time staying club level. With the 30% discount code we were able to upgrade to a deluxe room with club level access for only $144 a night more. As a a family of five we felt it would be worthwhile for breakfast and snacks alone. We also chose to have a TS lunch most days so found the appies in the evening were often enough for a light dinner. I felt a little weird taking pics here but I know there are many threads with excellent pictures of the CL offerings.

Breakfast was always excellent. There was fresh fruit (cubed cantaloupe and watermelon. apples, bananas and oranges), hot oatmeal with toppings, yogurt, grits, cold meats, cheese, multigrain bread, bagels, pastries, cold cereals, milk (2%, skim and chocolate), orange, apple and cranberry juice as well as coffee and a good selection of Twinnings Tea. I fell in love with the Nespresso machine and we made a habit of making to go lattes on our way to the parks each morning. I would have been happy to have breakfast here every day but the boys missed having something hot so we did make a surprise visit to one of our favourite breakfast places later in the trip.

Afternoon snacks: We only made it up for afternoon snacks once. There were the usual chips with dip, yogurt pretzels, swedish fish. 2 kinds of trail mix, sugar cookies, gummies, ice tea, lemonade, sodas and the oh so yummy Stormalong Bay Breeze.

Evening offerings: This was the menu from March 15, there were different hot appetizers each evening and the salads rotated as well. On this particular evening there was a goat cheese and red pepper phyllo, Conch fritters, roasted beet and quinoa salad, smoked salmon on cucumber, veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, an olive tapenade with multigrain bread, pb&j shooters with white rolls, apple slices and caramel. Sodas, iced tea and lemonade were available. The beer and wine was served by a CM. There were two white wines ( chardonnay and pinot grigio), a white zinfadel, and a two reds (merlot and shiraz). The wines were okay but the white wine was not overly cold and I really do enjoy my white wine cold. There was a section of about 5 beers. The same beverages were offered each evening. it would have been nice to have seen some local craft beers showcased and more variety in the wine offered. I would have loved to have seen a sparkling water such as San Pellegrino or Perrier offered as we drink a lot of those at home. There was always ice water but no individual bottles and when I asked the CM I was told they didn't stock individual bottles anymore. 2 drinks per person was the limit at any one time and I did feel watched in what I was consuming. Not that I was planning on going crazy or anything but you are on vacation after all.

Desserts and cordials: There was a section of 5-6 desserts every evening. Lemon cake, chocolate cake, raspberry mousse, sugar cookies with Mickey sprinkles, chocolate chip cookies, swedish fish etc. The cordials were Kahlua, Grand Marnier, Amarula and one other I can't recall. The offerings didn't really change from evening to evening and while they were tasty we tired of them fairly quickly. I did enjoy making a herbal tea to enjoy before bed as they had a nice section of my favourite Twinnings tea.

Overall thoughts: While we enjoyed experiencing club level I don't think it something we would do again. Next trip I would rather do a garden grocer order and make our own snacks in the room. I think putting that money towards special tours or experiences such as the fireworks cruise or a dinner show would be a better choice for our family. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice experience just not one I think we will repeat.

Up next..... lunch at Sci-Fi Dine In!

 

[vettegirl]

We have done the BC CL twice and we enjoyed it so much. However I am with you on putting the $$ elsewhere or just saving your money. However I am planning a short trip with my baby next month for just 3 nights and can get a CL room at the AKL with our military discount and am very very tempted!!

 

[kastoney]

We did club level once at WL and while it was wonderful, agree the money may not be worth it. Like you we had a discount that put it only $11 more than the one bedroom villa we'd previously booked - so worth it from that perspective - but think that was more of an anomoly

 

[suse66]

We woke up to another sunny and gorgeous day in the land of happiness....after enjoying breakfast in the lounge and having a visit with the oh so lovely Teena we headed off on our stroll over to Hollywood Studios. We had a fun filled morning visiting all our favourites, watched the Lights, Action Extreme Stunt show and were soon ready to check in at our beloved Sci-Fi Dine In! We arrived about 10 minutes early for our 2:30 reservation and were led to our seats around 2:35. I know this place gets mixed reviews but we love the corny movie clips, the fun atmosphere and the great burgers and shakes. I tried to take pictures here but unfortunately they did not turn out in the dim lighting.

On to the food! We were really pleased to see some great Florida craft beers available. DH chose the Session premium lager while I went for the Orange Blossom Pilsner. These were both great choices, served icy cold and refreshing in the heat. Our waiter was sure to bring big glasses of ice water to everyone as well. DS 1 had a rootbeer and DS 2 and 3 had the ultra creamy and delicious vanilla milkshakes. DH and DS 1 went for the Angus cheesburgers cooked medium well with french fries on the side. These were perfectly hot, juicy and delicious. DS 2 chose the kids cheeseburger while DS 3 had the mac and cheese and a fruit salad. I had the veggie burger loaded with cucumber planks, carmelized red onion, arugula and tomato slices along with a side of sweet potato fries. This was excellent and very filling. We had fantastic, prompt service from our waiter and really enjoyed ourselves. We'll be back again for sure!