A Savanna, A Wizard, and Oodles of Food - AKL/DxDP/WWoHP (COMPLETE!)

[shan23877]

Joining in late, but I'm all caught up and really enjoying your TR.

I can't for the life of me remember everything that I wanted to comment on along the way, but I do remember being even more excited that we booked the Yachtsman for this year.

I felt the same way about the 'Ohana breakfast. The food was pretty good, Mickey and Pluto were awesome, but Lilo was blah. We had a better Stitch than you did, but not a great one. Disappointing. My DD loved it though, so we'll be back!

 

[emmysmommy]

Glad to get caught up and see that you enjoyed the amazingness of ToT and RnRC - my favorites at DHS! Your photos are always so awesome - especially the Great Movie Ride. I can't get my photos to turn out due to the low light.

You have some great Photopass photos as well.

I thought of you when I started to book a quick trip to NE in May since we are flying into Omaha where your trip started.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Too bad your breakfast at Ohana was a bit lackluster. I agree with you though - Kona is one of the best!! Maybe it makes the eggs and potatoes feel even more "standard" with the knowledge that the Tonga Toast is mere feet away!!

 

[MEK]

Subbing to your TR!

Crazy lady on the plane - for sure!

I like you room location. I know exactly where those rooms are and I am a big fan of quiet and secluded.

Looking forward to catching up.

 

[RachelNinja]

Wow, you got a lot of rides done during EMH! I love the nighttime atmosphere of the parks. Staying past the regular close time makes it seem extra magical because I always stayed off property until last year.

I could totally go for some of that 'Ohana breakfast food right now, but for a special breakfast at Disney, I too would've wanted something a bit more spectacular for the price. Kona seems like an excellent place for breakfast!

 

[Marsheliz]

The Poly is the most beautiful hotel ever!

We enjoyed Ohana breakfast with our kids but I agree about the food.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

You know, I've never even gone in to see the Poly. What is wrong with me? . Next time I'm in Disney, I am definitely taking some time there.

 

[pascalstongue]

I am joining in too. Loving your report so far, especially your food reviews. I am also a huge dessert lover and I am very excited to be at the World in two months to eat so many yummy things!

 

[MEK]

I tend to be chaotic when I am behind on a TR, but so far I have day 1 and 2 under my belt.

Via - what a great place for your first ADR. Everything looks amazing. Yum! And having cute waiters only makes it that much better.

That frozen chocolate cappuccino looks so amazing. One of these days I will definitely have breakfast there just so I can try it.

CoP fan here!!!!!!!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Joining in late, but I'm all caught up and really enjoying your TR.

I can't for the life of me remember everything that I wanted to comment on along the way, but I do remember being even more excited that we booked the Yachtsman for this year.

I felt the same way about the 'Ohana breakfast. The food was pretty good, Mickey and Pluto were awesome, but Lilo was blah. We had a better Stitch than you did, but not a great one. Disappointing. My DD loved it though, so we'll be back!

You're not late at all!

Yachtsman was GREAT! I think you will really enjoy it! If they still have that fantastic chocolate pretzel cake, I would highly recommend it!

It was too bad that I didn't love the 'Ohana breakfast - perhaps my expectations were too high? I can see that kids may enjoy it more than adults, but I really liked the rest of our character meals! I'm glad we tried it but I think we'll try different breakfast spots next time.

Glad to get caught up and see that you enjoyed the amazingness of ToT and RnRC - my favorites at DHS! Your photos are always so awesome - especially the Great Movie Ride. I can't get my photos to turn out due to the low light.

You have some great Photopass photos as well.

I thought of you when I started to book a quick trip to NE in May since we are flying into Omaha where your trip started.

Welcome back, Brenda! (And Em!)

I ADORE the Tower of Terror and really love the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster as well! We had really good luck with the DHS Photopass photographers - Anika was much happier to stop for pictures at the beginning of the vacation than at the end!

Thank you for the picture compliment! One of these days I will own a fancy camera and will get decent photos of the middle of the GMR - at this point, the pictures from the beginning and the end are the only ones that look decent!

Hooray for Nebraska! Be sure to wave across the boarder to Iowa!

Too bad your breakfast at Ohana was a bit lackluster. I agree with you though - Kona is one of the best!! Maybe it makes the eggs and potatoes feel even more "standard" with the knowledge that the Tonga Toast is mere feet away!!

I MUST TRY KONA on my next trip! I'm DETERMINED.

Subbing to your TR!

Crazy lady on the plane - for sure!

I like you room location. I know exactly where those rooms are and I am a big fan of quiet and secluded.

Looking forward to catching up.

I'm really hoping I don't run into another one just like her on my next trip! I still don't understand what her deal was - it's not as though the entire plane didn't know we were going to Disney World. The first words out of the flight attendant were, "Welcome, everyone, to our flight to Orlando, Florida. Or, as it's known to most children, DISNEY WORLD!"

But, yes, I'm the one that ruined the big surprise.

I really loved our location, too! I wasn't too thrilled with the view, but the convenience and the quiet were both great.

Thanks for joining in!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Wow, you got a lot of rides done during EMH! I love the nighttime atmosphere of the parks. Staying past the regular close time makes it seem extra magical because I always stayed off property until last year.

I could totally go for some of that 'Ohana breakfast food right now, but for a special breakfast at Disney, I too would've wanted something a bit more spectacular for the price. Kona seems like an excellent place for breakfast!

I really like the parks at night. It's a completely different experience and just as (if not more) beautiful! I also appreciate that the crowds tend to thin out!

Considering the food was the usual eggs, bacon, sausage, and (some form of) potato platter, I agree that I could find a similar (or better) version for less money. Heck, Akershus cost MORE and I would return there before I would return to the 'Ohana breakfast! I thought both the food and the character interactions were much better at Akershus.

My next Polynesian breakfast will definitely be at Kona!

The Poly is the most beautiful hotel ever!

We enjoyed Ohana breakfast with our kids but I agree about the food.

I really loved the grounds at the Poly! I'm less enthusiatic about the rooms, so I don't believe I'd ever stay here... but that doesn't mean I don't plan to visit often!

I do think 'Ohana is better choice with kids. Or perhaps the characters at this restaurant are more receptive to kids? Who knows...

You know, I've never even gone in to see the Poly. What is wrong with me? . Next time I'm in Disney, I am definitely taking some time there.

This was the first trip that I made an effort to visit other resorts and I'm so glad I did! The Poly is awesome! It's definitely worth a ride on the monorail to wander around. The views and the smells are just incredible there!

I would highly recommend stopping by on a future trip!

I am joining in too. Loving your report so far, especially your food reviews. I am also a huge dessert lover and I am very excited to be at the World in two months to eat so many yummy things!

Thanks for joining! Thanks, also, for your compliment about the food reviews!

Oh my goodness, I had so many good desserts on this vacation! Anyone that knows me understands that if I'm going out to eat, there's going to be dessert involved!

Now you have me thinking about all the yummy things I'll be eating in just over two months, too! Mmmmm....

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I tend to be chaotic when I am behind on a TR, but so far I have day 1 and 2 under my belt.

Via - what a great place for your first ADR. Everything looks amazing. Yum! And having cute waiters only makes it that much better.

That frozen chocolate cappuccino looks so amazing. One of these days I will definitely have breakfast there just so I can try it.

CoP fan here!!!!!!!

Nice work! Feel free to take your time - I'm busy all day tomorrow so I won't have another update until Sunday.

Via Napoli was great! We thought both the food and the waitstaff made it a "must-do"! That frozen cappuccino... oh, yum. It would be worth returning to the GFC just to get that beverage!

I LOVE the Carousel of Progress. My teenage sister loves the Carousel of Progress. I'm always baffled by people that don't love it... it always makes me think, "What on earth is wrong with you?!"

 

[Disneymoon2013]

I've enjoyed reading so far!

Some questions... Did you get so much accomplished at Epcot, MK, & DHS because of Fastpasses (past their time limits) or mainly because it wasn't too busy during that time in February?

Do you think it's worth seeing the Swiss Family Robinson house for a first-timer who isn't familiar with the film?

Did you get any more towel animals?! The elephant and mouse are so cute!

BTW, my fav picture so far is of Annika in the tea cups. It makes me want to ride them. Before I wasn't interested in them at all!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I've enjoyed reading so far!

Some questions... Did you get so much accomplished at Epcot, MK, & DHS because of Fastpasses (past their time limits) or mainly because it wasn't too busy during that time in February?

Do you think it's worth seeing the Swiss Family Robinson house for a first-timer who isn't familiar with the film?

Did you get any more towel animals?! The elephant and mouse are so cute!

BTW, my fav picture so far is of Annika in the tea cups. It makes me want to ride them. Before I wasn't interested in them at all!

I think there were a few factors that made us so productive. My Fastpass wrangling helped (as I always grabbed a new FP the minute our window opened), as did the lack of enforced return times. However, I still think you could use FP effectively with the enforced times - you'd just have to be more strategic. I'm not sure how FP+ will affect this. The low crowds also helped, but Disney was a lot busier than I remember from previous years in January and February.

We had a few other things on our side. As we're essentially two adults, we didn't have to worry about kid wrangling, potty breaks, and distractions. We also could walk pretty fast, and often passed loads of people that were headed in the same direction. We also were really good at getting to the parks early (at or before opening), and then hit the most popular rides first. We didn't really follow a touring plan after the first few rides, but even Anika was impressed that we seemed to ride nearly everything before a line had built up.

Yes, try the Swiss Robinson Treehouse! It rarely has a line (I wouldn't recommend climbing if it has one) and it's a different kind of attraction. I'd recommend you try it at night - that's our plan for next time!

No more towel animals. We kept the original ones all week, though!

We LOVE the teacups! I can't believe we only rode them once! You always have the option to just enjoy the movement of the ride without spinning your cup - but I would recommend spinning it like a crazy person! It's so much fun!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

This is Why You Get There Early…
Day 4— - Part II

As we were leaving the Polynesian and heading to Hollywood Studios, Anika mentioned that she was chilly and really needed her coat. Where was her coat?

At the Animal Kingdom Lodge.



So much for being early at the park!

We drove back to our resort. Here’'s a picture of us heading in around 8:40 (which means we likely could’'ve been at the DHS turnstiles at 8:30!):

Anika retrieved her coat (and I grabbed mine too, just in case) and we were on our way again. It was a very short trip to the studios and I was rather proud that I correctly followed the directional signs to the parking lot! Sometimes driving around Disney World can be confusing!

We arrived a bit after 9:00 and stood in the LONGEST BAG CHECK LINE EVER. Nearly every other line we stood in for park entry was just a few people long, but I’'m sure that was because most of our bag-check lines were visited before park opening or at off times. It took almost THIRTY MINUTES to get through the line. As the minutes ticked by, I saw my plans of hitting the headliners in the first hour fade away. I become more and more bugged that Anika didn’t grab her coat this morning, especially since she could’ve kept it in the car!

Finally, finally around 9:30 we were in. The first thing we did was march to Toy Story Mania and grab Fastpasses:

Good grief. At 9:35 on a fairly quiet morning our return time was nearly one o'clock!

Since my original morning plan was a bust, we improvised. Standby on Toy Story Mania was out and the Rock ‘'n’ Roller Coaster line was far too long, but the Tower of Terror line was okay. We headed to our favorite tower first.

I must'’ve been bugged for most of the morning because I took so few pictures this morning! My first pictures in DHS that day were taken at 11:00 (the Fastpass picture above was taken in the afternoon). Our next attraction was the Great Movie Ride (no pictures) and Muppet 3-D (no pictures). I redeem myself slightly on the Muppets as I videotaped a portion of the best pre-show on Disney property.

My camera finally saw the light of day again in the Muppet store next to the Muppet attraction. It wasn’t possible to walk by these signs and not photograph them:

I also love this setup of the Happiness Hotel from the Great Muppet Caper (my favorite Muppet movie!):

I'’m nearly positive we went on Star Tours again this morning, but as I was ignoring my camera for most of the morning I can'’t be sure. I’m' sure the lines there wouldn’t have been too bad.

The next thing I know we did was wander around the Streets of America.

I kept trying to get Anika to pose with random things:

Then I would hand her the camera and try to have her take pictures of me:

Anika wasn'’t having much of it. She was now a little grumpy as she was cold and hungry (which, to be fair, doesn’t make anyone very happy). I was still grumpy from our late start that morning. We were quite a pair!

We gave up on wandering around the park and headed to our lunch reservation at the Hollywood Brown Derby. I was SUPER excited to eat at the Brown Derby as the menu looked really tasty and the restaurant ambiance looked so fun.

We'’ll just say right now that our experience did not live up to our (my) expectations...

Up Next: Lunch at Hollywood Brown Derby

 

[SimplyGoofy]

An (Un)Hollywood Experience
Day 4— - Part III

Here we were at our lunch destination:

We waited only a few minutes before being seated. Here'’s a picture of the lobby and the front desk:

I really did love the charm and character of the restaurant décor:

We were seated on an upper level table so we had a great view of the restaurant!

I figured Anika and I would both be pulled out of our funks once we ate a tasty meal. I’'ve read nothing but excellent things about the Brown Derby

Then we met Linda.

Linda was our waitress at the Brown Derby. It took me a while to put my finger on why I disliked our experience at the Brown Derby so much, and it really comes back to our waitress. She was snippy when she learned we were on the dining plan (aren’'t a lot of people?), she seemed bored when she took our orders, and mostly she just acted like every trip to our table was just a huge waste of her time. Overall, she was just a big grump.

Not exactly the signature dining experience I was expecting.

At least Linda did bring us our food!

We started with our usual water and iced tea, as well as a basket of rolls and salted butter:

They were tasty, but it was hard to compete with the magnificent onion rolls from the night before!

Anika wasn’t interested in an appetizer but I was super excited to try the Cobb Salad. It included chopped greens, turkey, egg, bacon, tomatoes, bleu cheese, avocado, chives, and Cobb dressing:

When Linda brought the gigantic bowl to the table, she asked if I would like her to mix the salad for me. When I said that I would (and I’'m sure that I included a please!), she gave me a big sigh and then mixed my salad and served a portion on my plate.

Gee thanks, Linda.

I ate as much of the salad as I could as it was DELICIOUS, but I wanted to save some room for my entrée.

I ordered the pork, which at that time was called the Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin. It came with herb and four-cheese spaetzel, smoked bacon, sweet peppers, red cabbage, and an apple cider juice:

Anika ordered the chicken, which was the Roasted Free-Range Ashley Farms Breast of Chicken. The chicken was stuffed with ham, Manchego cheese, and spinach, and was served over a Fabada stew (which usually includes sausages, beans, bacon, onions, and garlic):

Both of our entrées were fantastic! I’'m not usually a pork fan (I ordered the dish for the spaetzel!), but I thought the pork was excellent. It was flavorful and juicy and not at all dry. Anika enjoyed her chicken but ignored most of the stew at the bottom of the plate. She thought the chicken dish was very good.

Next up was dessert!

I ordered the Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower:

Anika ordered the Chocolate Three Ways, which included a dark almond buttermilk cake with a milk chocolate truffle cream and white chocolate Chambord:

Both of our desserts were delicious! I considered ordering the Grapefruit Cake, but the banana dessert just sounded better to me at the time. I wasn’'t disappointed!

Anika also ordered a cappuccino with dessert:

She said it was wonderful! I think she was still cold so the hot beverage was a great choice.

I don'’t remember seeing much of Linda throughout most of our meal— - I know Anika ran out of water at some point and I rationed my iced tea so I didn't run out. If there'’s anything that annoys me at a restaurant it’'s not getting beverages refilled. I have sympathy if a restaurant is busy, but as we were one of Linda'’s only tables I didn't understand how she didn't have time to stop by with a water pitcher. Our meal also took nearly an hour and a half, which seems ridiculous considering how few people were in the restaurant. I know we waited a very long time between courses.

Linda finally came with our bill and we paid and left. Anika and I were both excited to get out of there.


Final Thoughts— - Hollywood Brown Derby
I was so disappointed in our experience at the Brown Derby. Our food was WONDERFUL and the restaurant was beautiful, but the interactions with our server were not fun at all. I can'’t think of another meal where I felt the server had no interest in serving us. I don’'t expect service that poor from a meal at Applebees, let alone from a signature restaurant in Disney World! I can’t figure out if she thought we were just annoying kids (I haven’t been a “kid” for years, thanks), or if she thought we didn't belong in an upscale restaurant (we’ve both been to much nicer restaurants!), but regardless of the reason her behavior was irritating. I know throughout the meal I attempted to be nicer and nicer to see if it would rub off, but to no avail. Now that I look at our receipt from the meal I realized I gave her FAR too large of a tip. I would love to give the Brown Derby another try as so many people seem to love it, plus I think all of my bad feelings are due to our annoying waitress. Anika has no desire to return.


Although our lunch experience was less than stellar, we were both full and warm and surprisingly, in much better moods. We looked forward to a much sunnier afternoon!

Up Next: A Full Afternoon at Hollywood Studios

 

[shan23877]

How disappointing! I'm so sorry that the server at HBD was so rude to you.

I don't claim to know everything about how Disney works, but I can't imagine that the servers there would consider the DDP or DxDP a bad thing. Since most of us probably wouldn't order both appetizer and dessert if it wasn't included in the dining plan, the servers are only reaping the benefit of guests already being "upsold" for them. And, since you tip on what the meal would have cost if you'd paid OOP, the server gets more money from the DDPers. Very strange indeed.

I have worked in restaurants for almost 20 years, and this makes me very, very sad for you. Service can truly make or break an experience for the diner, and most waiters take that responsibility pretty seriously. I'm sorry that Janet didn't.

Sounds like you guys liked the food pretty well though! Maybe after the bad memory has faded you'll try again.

 

[Marsheliz]

I dont blame you for not being overall thrilled...

That really stinks and you got that right- signature dining at that. UMM, hello, that is really terrible of the waitress to act that way. I have wanted to try that out before too but never have. It would be hard to do signature with two kids under the age of 5.

On another note, in reference to your night at DHS- We have never been at night and I don't know why... LOL

 

[MEK]

I honestly hope you get a survey to fill out or have another means for providing feedback on Linda. The impression she left on you obviously ruined your meal. That's unacceptable. The food does look absolutely delicious. Sorry an otherwise enjoyable meal took a turn south.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

So sad to hear about your service at the Derby. I've always thought that one of the things that makes Disney so great is the great CM's and other employees. But when you get a bad one, they can really have an equally negative impact. Glad to hear you didn't let it get you down too much.