Follow me to the Boardwalk! 10/23 - 11/7 UPDATED 4/13 BEACHES & CREAM

[jabead]

So glad you got to have all your kids home for Christmas. I'm gonna have to stalk your instagram for some Austin food ideas. We are heading down in March and looking to try some new things.

I just booked my flight to Austin in April for their Food & Wine Festival so there will be much more Austin eats on my IG in the not-so-distant future.

 

[rteetz]

I have never eaten at the Wave. I have heard good things about it and should go over there to try it one of these times.

 

[AllyinWonderland]

The Wave looks delicious! I keep meaning to make it over there but still have not gotten around to it.

 

[disneyAndi14]

We are going to try the Wave in April, this will be a first for us as well. I am looking forward to your 1900PF breakfast, we will be trying this also in April. Glad you enjoyed the dinner and service at the Wave, looks yummy.

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

I liked everything about this dessert except for the coconut. But since coconut is always part of a German chocolate cake, I can't really fault them for my dislike of it. Although I like the flavor of coconut (i.e. I love a good pina colada ), I don't like shredded coconut in my food. So I guess it's a texture thing. But anyway, this was a tasty dessert and a good ending to a great meal...one of my favorite dinners of the trip!

I'm like that too! Don't mind coconut flavor but can't stand the shredded coconut in my food!
Glad you enjoyed your meal, it looks great!
And I'll second PP @samsteele who asked about the atmosphere. The menu always seemed yummy and I've read great reviews but when I saw pictures, even on the official Disney website where everything looks good, the interior just seemed so... blah. Darkish and very simple. Reminded me of the lunchroom at my high school.
What are your thoughts on that?

 

[momof3princes]

The Wave looked delicious! What kind of bread was that? I love any kind of bread with "stuff" in it, 7 grain, 9 grain...you name it

That cake....yum! I agree with you on the texture thing. I love all things pumpkin but do not like pumpkin pie at all it is the texture of it

 

[Xclusive2WDW]

OMG you had me at German chocolate and Heath ice cream!

 

[IowaTater]

Emily took some photos from our first course, which included 13 different wines, at least a dozen cheeses, along with various accompaniments.

Okay, I want to come to your Christmas parties. That spread looks amazing!!

Loved the F&W reviews. I definitely saw a few new things in there that I hope they have this year.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

What are your dates? Paula gave me the heads up yesterday that the dates for the Swan & Dolphin Fest had been set for Oct. 28th and 29th so I booked a room at WL from Oct. 21 - Oct. 30. Although I would prefer to stay at one of the Epcot resorts during Food & Wine, I'll wait and see if they come out with any discounts as their regular rates are pretty scary. As for traveling to WDW sans kids, I've tested those waters plenty lately and they are just fine...come on in!

And Vicki, you of course have a standing invitation to our annual CATW party! Hope to see you next year, just bring along your favorite bottle of French, Italian, German, American, etc. wine!

I was hoping it would be that weekend! I booked us at The Boardwalk from 10/22 to 10/30! Happy dancing that we will be there at the same time!! Woo Hoo!

We will be celebrating our 25th anniversary so I am hoping we can pull off the BW. I am pretty sure we will be all good.

Looking forward to being able to plan! Once the time comes, do you still have my email?

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Love your review of the Wave. I really wanted to go there this past trip but DS vetoed it. Not sure why as we have enjoyed our previous visits. Won't push him to go in March but may try to get there in October.

 

[happy2012]

Wow your around the world spread looked awesome this year!
The Wave looks good, especially dessert.

 

[MrsB1228]

I fell sooo far behind but am now happily caught up once again. I'm so sorry you had such a disappointing experience at California Grill as I know it's long been a favourite of yours. Our one and only experience there was less than stellar, and we also had service issues. We're heading to the World this coming Tuesday and I had made a dinner ADR at CG for my birthday, thinking I'd give them a second chance. However I started second-guessing myself and realized I just wasn't happy with the thought of returning so I cancelled it and we're now going to Shula's (new to us) instead. I love a good steak so I'm looking forward to it!

Yay for the Wave! It's long been a favourite of ours, we've never had a bad meal or bad service there. So happy you had a great experience (after they fixed the undercooked steak).

As always, thanks for taking the time to write these fun and detailed reviews Barb!

 

[Vernie822]

First off awesome holiday spread... that sounds like SO much fun! We did a progressive dinner last year where we went from house to house and everyone served an app and a drink so that was fun, but this spread looks fantastic.

Your meal at the Wave sounds great. We have never been, and the breakfast buffet has been on my To Do list for a while. Dinner looks fantastic even if your steak wasn't done correctly the first time!

 

[samsteele]

I always your love dining reviews so re my Wave post earlier, I definitely wanted to make sure nothing critical about the atmosphere was implied. I've never been so am just really curious esp given some other observations on the Boards. Your reviews are the Cadillac of dining reviews on the Boards. Always superior & incredible re content & pics.

 

[jabead]

Thank you for the lovely review and pics! This place has been on my radar for some time but I just haven't had the chance to eat there. I've heard wonderful things about the food at the Wave but some comments that the atmosphere isn't that great. In fact, a few posters have mentioned it is almost like eating in a basement or a reception room because there is little natural light? I haven't been so am curious about the atmosphere and decor. How did you find it? And if not the best, did you find the food more than made up for it? While the view can never equal that at Cali Grill, it sounds like your entree at the Wave was definitely superior to Cali Grill and that says a lot. About both restaurants.

It's true that The Wave doesn't have the atmosphere that many of the Disney World restaurants have. It doesn't have any windows (and therefore no natural lighting) but it wasn't nearly as dark as Le Cellier, which definitely lives up to its name. I would say the decor is typical of a restaurant located in the lobby of a nice hotel, just not quite up to what we've come to expect from the Disney World restaurants. I do recall that I liked the restaurant's ceiling and light fixtures though. I think I might have even taken some photos of these when I returned for breakfast there later in my trip. If I did, I will be sure and post them when I get to that review.

But anyway, I can honestly say that I enjoyed my meal at The Wave much more than my dinner upstairs at California Grill. For me, The Wave's superior food and service outweighed the more upscale atmosphere and spectacular view of California Grill...which is painful for me to admit since CG has been my favorite WDW restaurant since 2010.

I have never eaten at the Wave. I have heard good things about it and should go over there to try it one of these times.

I say, go for it!

The Wave looks delicious! I keep meaning to make it over there but still have not gotten around to it.

Yes, it took me several trips to finally give it try. Then when I finally made it there, I liked it so much that I returned later in my trip for breakfast.

We are going to try the Wave in April, this will be a first for us as well. I am looking forward to your 1900PF breakfast, we will be trying this also in April. Glad you enjoyed the dinner and service at the Wave, looks yummy.

I hope you enjoy the Wave. Will you be going there for dinner or breakfast/lunch? I'll be reviewing my breakfast there later in my report. I'm hoping to get my 1900 PF review posted this weekend. I have lots of photos from the buffet there.

I'm like that too! Don't mind coconut flavor but can't stand the shredded coconut in my food!
Glad you enjoyed your meal, it looks great!
And I'll second PP @samsteele who asked about the atmosphere. The menu always seemed yummy and I've read great reviews but when I saw pictures, even on the official Disney website where everything looks good, the interior just seemed so... blah. Darkish and very simple. Reminded me of the lunchroom at my high school.
What are your thoughts on that?

As I told sam, I wasn't put off by the atmosphere/decor there. Nothing special, but fine. For me though, the positives (good food, good service, reasonable prices) far outweighed this negative.

The Wave looked delicious! What kind of bread was that? I love any kind of bread with "stuff" in it, 7 grain, 9 grain...you name it

That cake....yum! I agree with you on the texture thing. I love all things pumpkin but do not like pumpkin pie at all it is the texture of it

I don't have anything in my notes regarding the bread other than that it was good (better than California Grill's) because it was warm and tasted fresh. But you are right, from the photos it does look like a multi-grain.

OMG you had me at German chocolate and Heath ice cream!

When I saw chocolate cake, caramel sauce, and Heath candy in the description I knew I had to have it, even with the inevitable shredded coconut.

Okay, I want to come to your Christmas parties. That spread looks amazing!!

Loved the F&W reviews. I definitely saw a few new things in there that I hope they have this year.

Thanks. The spread was actually a bit smaller this year as I downsized from 9 countries to 7. Though I enjoy doing it every year, it really is a lot of work.

Love your review of the Wave. I really wanted to go there this past trip but DS vetoed it. Not sure why as we have enjoyed our previous visits. Won't push him to go in March but may try to get there in October.

Though the Wave probably wouldn't make the list for me on a short trip either, I would definitely be willing to eat there again sometime. Both my dinner and breakfast there were very good!

Wow your around the world spread looked awesome this year!
The Wave looks good, especially dessert.

The Wave was a pleasant surprise for me. It gets a thumbs up from me!

I fell sooo far behind but am now happily caught up once again. I'm so sorry you had such a disappointing experience at California Grill as I know it's long been a favourite of yours. Our one and only experience there was less than stellar, and we also had service issues. We're heading to the World this coming Tuesday and I had made a dinner ADR at CG for my birthday, thinking I'd give them a second chance. However I started second-guessing myself and realized I just wasn't happy with the thought of returning so I cancelled it and we're now going to Shula's (new to us) instead. I love a good steak so I'm looking forward to it!

Yay for the Wave! It's long been a favourite of ours, we've never had a bad meal or bad service there. So happy you had a great experience (after they fixed the undercooked steak).

As always, thanks for taking the time to write these fun and detailed reviews Barb!

Oh, how exciting...your trip is so soon! Hope you have a wonderful trip and birthday celebration. Happy Birthday!

Your meal at the Wave sounds great. We have never been, and the breakfast buffet has been on my To Do list for a while. Dinner looks fantastic even if your steak wasn't done correctly the first time!

Oh, I returned to the Wave for breakfast later in my trip. I took lots of photos of the buffet food, so stay tuned.

I always your love dining reviews so re my Wave post earlier, I definitely wanted to make sure nothing critical about the atmosphere was implied. I've never been so am just really curious esp given some other observations on the Boards. Your reviews are the Cadillac of dining reviews on the Boards. Always superior & incredible re content & pics.

Thank you so much for the kind words. And no worries regarding your earlier post. It was a perfectly valid and appropriate question.

 

[samsteele]

Thanks for the update re atmosphere at The Wave. Every WDW restaurant is a balance. Its clear that your entree was very good and that is what's most important in the scheme of things. Great info to have in my back pocket for a future vacation. Thanks, as always! Big Fan.

 

[jabead]

Just a brief intermission from the food for some nighttime fun at Magic Kingdom.



Following my dinner at The Wave I took the monorail to Magic Kingdom, as this was one of few nights during this week that it was open to the general public. During the first 10 nights of my trip, MK held a Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party on six of them and I believe that most if not all of these were sold out in advance. So my opportunities for seeing MK's Halloween decorations at night, as well as the Main Street Electrical Parade and WISHES were pretty limited. Apparently there were many people with this same problem because Magic Kingdom was quite crowded on this night. Luckily I had been able to get a FP+ for the special viewing area for both the parade and fireworks, which allowed me some time to walk around and take some photos rather than scoping out a spot and plopping myself down in order to save it. Here are a few of the photos I took...

















Then it was time for the Main Street Electrical Parade to begin. Not sure if this is always the case, but on this evening the FP+ reserved area was in the Town Square area in front of Tony's restaurant. I found myself a spot which had a direct view of Main street and the castle.




This would have been a perfect location for taking parade photos with the castle in the background had the parade started that night in Frontierland. But sadly it started on Main Street, went around the circle (where I was standing) and then down Main Street toward the castle. So in other words, most of my photos are of the back end of everything. But I'll show some of these anyway.

Following the parade, I moved up Main Street to the FP+ area for viewing WISHES (located in the grassy area in front of Casey's). While this area is great for seeing the fireworks, it's almost too close for great photos. Here are a few (not so great ones) that I took though...








Sorry about the lack of food photos in this post, but I promise to more than make up for it in my next post.


Next up: 1900 Park Fare Breakfast Buffet

 

[kastoney]

Wow, the Wave looks like they have some really great food and even better prices. My in-laws will be joining us for a few days on our next trip, so we're going to skip the signatures while they are there so the Wave looks like it may be a good option.

Love all your Halloween pics. Can't beat the kingdom all lit up for any holiday.

 

[momof3princes]

I love the Halloween decorations at MK, that is awesome you got FP+ for both the parade and Wishes

 

[vettegirl]

Great pictures of the MEP!