From the Sea to the World - Completed!

[Flossbolna]

I'll try to remember that the next time I get a deli sandwich at the market......


Nice of you to be thinking about your dear, sweet little sister........


Yes, half is about all I can eat at one time too..........


Glad you cleared up that picture was taken later. I was about to ask why you couldn't find any loungers...........there are plenty in this picture.

I haven't ever gone to Blizzard Beach. I guess I need to give it a try sometime. It sounds like a lot of fun.

First of all: What other exciting things would one do at WDW than go to a theme park or water park????

I am happy that my shopping/deli experience amused you that much!!

I actually edited the explanation about the time of the picture in after I previewed the update. I was confused myself!

You really should give BB a try! It is far more whimsical than TL!

Our popular supermarket here does great sandwiches. Tuesday is discount day so my college aged broke staff would always go to the deli for lunch.


Sorry you didn't have a better experience this time.

Did you hear and see him sneeze from the house?

The king and queen of closing it down.

I think I have spent more time at Blizzard beach than Typhoon. The couple times my conference was in WDW, our party would be at Typhoon but we would be dry and after hours and then we would get a ticket for BB and a picnic lunch at the park in one of their grassy areas. I would usually go early wit the intention of leaving after lunch but either closed down or came close to closing down that park both times.


So... No Summit Plummet???

I am too chicken for Summit Plummet - and I was wearing a bikini! I remember one of youtr TRs when you had a party at one of the water parks. I was so envious!!

Thanks of the title as king and queen! Closing down parks was definitely the theme of the trip!

I did hear the sneeze. I think I might even have been able to have Michael sneezed upon when passing there by clever manoeuvring...

I wish we had such lovely deli sandwiches. But then we do have nice sandwiches here as well in bakeries...

 

[Flossbolna]

No, we did not add a stop at the pool before getting ready. We had a dinner reservation. And one that I was looking much forward to. There is a type of American food that I love and that is very difficult to get in Germany: Barbecue. We do have grills here and people love to grill meat in the summer, but I am talking about ribs, pulled pork, beans, corn bread etc. And that was what I would get tonight! At a place on property that I had never considered as a place to go to: The Swan! The Garden Grove restaurant at the Swan used to be a buffet restaurant which changed the theme of its buffet during the course of a week. I just looked it up and it seems to have gone to a mix of buffet (for salad, soup and dessert) and a main course, but they seem to have kept the Friday seafood buffet. When we were there, Monday was Barbecue night though and that is where we were headed. Oh, and it is a character meal on top!

Since we had to go to the Swan, we chose to not use Disney transportation, but hop into Michael’s car. On the way there I spotted one of the busses with the new paint scheme:

I am not so sure about the silver, but in general I like it better than the plain white.

Since the Swan charges for parking, we parked at the Boardwalk, so I got a very brief visit of my home resort:

And then off to our destination:

Some pictures from inside the Swan:

And then it was time for dinner. The restaurant was actually fairly empty and we had a nice table for four for just the two of us.

The restaurant is quite beautiful, it has a large (artificial) tree in the middle and the tables are circular around it. Later there were tiny lights in the tree.

We got started with some fresh (and delicious) bread rolls that were brought to the table as well as some salad that was prepared freshly at the table as well:

This was my first plate:

Continued in Part 2

 

[Flossbolna]

I also proceeded to take pictures of the whole buffet line, which now are rather historical… But since they keep the salad, soup and dessert buffet, I guess it still is somehow informative.

This was my dessert selection:

As I mentioned, the meal is a character meal. However, it only had two characters which took shifts. In our case it was Goofy and Pluto. Since there weren’t a lot of people in the restaurant we did get to spend a lot of time with them:

I think it would be a great place to go with younger kids as it was much less hectic there than at other character meals that I have experienced.

All in all it was a wonderful meal and I am so disappointed that the buffet is no longer! We thought all the food was very good and even though there weren’t that many people, it was all kept very fresh and not stale or cooled down at all!

Once we finished dinner, we got the car and drove over to DHS. You might guess the reason we went there: evening EMH!

We got there at 8:30pm and stayed until midnight (yes, Pat we closed down the park again!). We managed to go on all the big rides, some even twice and I also saw the Pirates of the Caribbean “show”. This was intriguing – supposedly the technic they use in their to create the effects will be used heavily in the Pirates ride that will be part of Shanghai Disneyland, which I think will be more of a rollercoaster than a boat ride… We even managed to nearly walk onto TSMM just before midnight. The wait time outside still said 30 minutes, but I really wanted to do it! We ended up waiting less than 10 minutes! And I even got more points than Michael!!!

Once again we had a great time in the evening in the park, it was not crowded at all and lots of fun!

And to end the day I even had a new “first” experience at Disney: A ride on a parking lot tram! So exciting!!!!!!

With waiting for the tram, then walking to the car etc. I actually felt that we did not have a huge advantage over taking the bus. But for dinner, the car was crucial as it saved us about 40 minutes!

Next: Being even more lazy at WDW! Part 1

 

[saintstickets]

Magdalene....I finally got caught up with your TR after I've been away from the DISboards for a few months. Your TR continues to be fantastic! I especially liked Il Mulino's at the Swan. We'll have to add it to our bucket list. We finally tried Todd English's Bluezoo at the Dolphin and it was great. Looking forward to more TR!

 

[nodnol]

We got drinks, fruit and some snacks (especially some incredibly delicious hummus) and lunch. We each got a sandwich at the deli counter.

pictures, or it didn't happen!

Oh – and we also picked up a handful of Cliffbars for my dear little sister. She had fallen in love with them on her last visit and requested me to get her some.

oh well, I guess, it did. But the bars are all gone now....

Blizzard Beach doesn't look full at all on your pictures. I guess most people left after you arrived? So do you think this is a better strategy for water parks - arriving late and closing it down instead of coming early?

About dinner: didn't we have breakfast there? But I don't remember the tree... The food looks delicious, but you didn't try any ribs?

 

[Steppesister]

Oh, you have been really out of the loop on Disney news for a long time if you don't know about the new lands! I am glad that I could be of help!

I haven't done any research at all. Whereas it's not like I haven't thought about another trip someday, I just haven't had time to live dreaming and planning like I used to.

I'm working almost full time, planning a wedding, and have a bigger home to take care of here. Life is just.... full.

Since you haven't caught up with the beginning of the WDW trip, I can tell you that there was a counter service meal that truly surprised me in quality! I think you will know which one I was talking about once you get to it.

I will keep my eyes out for that! Going back to read now...

After having had a fall trip and a spring trip now, for me May beats October in so many ways! While MNSSHP was fun (you can see pictures from Katharina's and my visit there in 2011 on Marv's TR), it also really reduces park hours for the MK which then is only open a few evenings late and those are horribly crowded. Also, the weather was much nicer for us in May than in October which had some rather cool days.

That are definitely some very big cons. Hmm....

Told my parents about your comment and they say hi back to you! Were asking how you are finding life in the US after having been in the -stan for so long.

It's been hard. In a lot of ways. A different KIND of hard than living there.

 

[Steppesister]

WOW! That was some buffet! thanks for all the lovely pictures!

Good move on parking at the Boardwalk, and closing down the park is practically the best way to hit a WHOLE bunch of rides without a wait!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Hi Magdalene! It's been hard to stay on the boards since we had the baby, but I think I'm finally caught up! Sounds like you had a great time at Blizzard Beach and then at the BBQ buffet. I'm sorry to see that has gone by the wayside, because the food looks delicious! (and I'm a sucker for BBQ.)

 

[GoofyFan1515]

No, we did not add a stop at the pool before getting ready. We had a dinner reservation. And one that I was looking much forward to. There is a type of American food that I love and that is very difficult to get in Germany: Barbecue. We do have grills here and people love to grill meat in the summer, but I am talking about ribs, pulled pork, beans, corn bread etc. And that was what I would get tonight! At a place on property that I had never considered as a place to go to: The Swan! The Garden Grove restaurant at the Swan used to be a buffet restaurant which changed the theme of its buffet during the course of a week.

Great to see that even being from Germany you know what Barbecue really is! There are people from some parts of this country that think barbecue is something you do, instead of something you eat!

I wish I had known about this buffet before it became a thing of the past. The food looks really good and I would have certainly had it on my list of places to eat at Disney!

And then it was time for dinner. The restaurant was actually fairly empty and we had a nice table for four for just the two of us.

When eating at a buffet, it is always best to have plenty of room to put your food!

We got started with some fresh (and delicious) bread rolls that were brought to the table as well as some salad that was prepared freshly at the table as well:

Those rolls look great! Is that by chance jalapenos I see in them???

I also proceeded to take pictures of the whole buffet line, which now are rather historical…

Your food pics are making me hungry! It all looks delicious, and I could really go for some grilled corn on the cob, and a huge plate of those ribs!!!

As I mentioned, the meal is a character meal. However, it only had two characters which took shifts. In our case it was Goofy and Pluto. Since there weren’t a lot of people in the restaurant we did get to spend a lot of time with them:

That one picture was well worth your trip to The Swan, and whatever the cost of the buffet was..........

We got there at 8:30pm and stayed until midnight (yes, Pat we closed down the park again!). We managed to go on all the big rides, some even twice and I also saw the Pirates of the Caribbean “show”. This was intriguing – supposedly the technic they use in their to create the effects will be used heavily in the Pirates ride that will be part of Shanghai Disneyland, which I think will be more of a rollercoaster than a boat ride… We even managed to nearly walk onto TSMM just before midnight. The wait time outside still said 30 minutes, but I really wanted to do it! We ended up waiting less than 10 minutes! And I even got more points than Michael!!!

Glad you were able to get so much done during EEMH! Seems like every time I have been there during EEMH it was so crowded you could barely move! Maybe I just gave up on it too soon and needed to close down the park too!

Congrats on beating Michael at TSMM!

And to end the day I even had a new “first” experience at Disney: A ride on a parking lot tram! So exciting!!!!!!

So glad you got to mark that one off your list! Sometimes it's just the little things in life that mean so much.........

 

[Flossbolna]

Magdalene....I finally got caught up with your TR after I've been away from the DISboards for a few months. Your TR continues to be fantastic! I especially liked Il Mulino's at the Swan. We'll have to add it to our bucket list. We finally tried Todd English's Bluezoo at the Dolphin and it was great. Looking forward to more TR!

Welcome back to the DISboards! Just to be clear: while I took a picture of Il Mulino's entrance, we did eat at the Garden Grove!! However, I have only heard good things about Il Mulino's, so you would certainly have a wonderful meal there I hope!

So far I have only heard good things about nearly all of the Swan and Dolphin eateries. The previous trip we ate at Fresh and the Fountain and loved both.

pictures, or it didn't happen!



oh well, I guess, it did. But the bars are all gone now....

Blizzard Beach doesn't look full at all on your pictures. I guess most people left after you arrived? So do you think this is a better strategy for water parks - arriving late and closing it down instead of coming early?

About dinner: didn't we have breakfast there? But I don't remember the tree... The food looks delicious, but you didn't try any ribs?

Sorry, no sandwich pictures!

I promise to bring more Cliff bars from my next trip! At least I don't have to bring rice crispy treats anymore.

I think water park strategy depends on how full it is going to be. It was not a crowded day to start with. But overall, yes, I think getting there later and staying until 5pm when it closes might be a better strategy. You can even spend some time at a theme park before. I was quite amazed how early people started packing up!

No, we had breakfast at Fresh in the Dolphin, not in the Swan. That's why it does not look familiar. And I had ribs: On my second plate. I think when I first went to the buffet, the ribs were rather empty and did not look so fresh, but were replaced just when I sat down.

 

[Flossbolna]

WOW! That was some buffet! thanks for all the lovely pictures!

Good move on parking at the Boardwalk, and closing down the park is practically the best way to hit a WHOLE bunch of rides without a wait!

Glad you enjoyed the pictures!

In previous trips the parks often closed at 7pm, so those late nights never were an option. But I really loved them! Also no problem with being out in the sun too much if you are there after dark!

Hi Magdalene! It's been hard to stay on the boards since we had the baby, but I think I'm finally caught up! Sounds like you had a great time at Blizzard Beach and then at the BBQ buffet. I'm sorry to see that has gone by the wayside, because the food looks delicious! (and I'm a sucker for BBQ.)

Mark, I am impressed that you are caught up!! That is more than I managed on your TR! I am sure you would have loved the buffet there, but even with the current menu it looks like a good choice. And the quiet atmosphere for a character meal is priceless in my opinion.

 

[Flossbolna]

Great to see that even being from Germany you know what Barbecue really is! There are people from some parts of this country that think barbecue is something you do, instead of something you eat!

I wish I had known about this buffet before it became a thing of the past. The food looks really good and I would have certainly had it on my list of places to eat at Disney!


When eating at a buffet, it is always best to have plenty of room to put your food!


Those rolls look great! Is that by chance jalapenos I see in them???


Your food pics are making me hungry! It all looks delicious, and I could really go for some grilled corn on the cob, and a huge plate of those ribs!!!



That one picture was well worth your trip to The Swan, and whatever the cost of the buffet was..........


Glad you were able to get so much done during EEMH! Seems like every time I have been there during EEMH it was so crowded you could barely move! Maybe I just gave up on it too soon and needed to close down the park too!

Congrats on beating Michael at TSMM!



So glad you got to mark that one off your list! Sometimes it's just the little things in life that mean so much.........

I think I once got told by a friend from the South what a real barbecue is (as compared to the fake one that involves grilling hot dogs ).

I am rather upset myself that this wonderful buffet is no longer. But considering how empty it was, I am not too surprised that they went for a different set up.

The rolls were cheese and jalapeños and quite nice, but they also gave us corn bread and I much preferred that!

I guess it also depends on time of year etc how empty the EMH can be. What I noticed was that the first hour was still quite busy, but the second hour it got very quiet. I think we were lucky that the parks were not too crowded to start with. But especially the last 30 minutes I could see attendance drop quite dramatically. Part of the studios were really deserted!

 

[Flossbolna]

Day 14

You thought we had taken it easy the last few days? The you have seen nothing. I can already tell you that we did not step into a theme park today!

We started with a lazy morning. I brewed some more Disney coffee in our coffee maker and sat out on the balcony enjoying the view and tried to catch up on my trip notes. I have to say that I have a love and hate relationship with my trip notes. Even though without them I would not be able to write this TR anymore after so many months and it is wonderful to remember the trip through them. But it is also hard work to keep it up. Sometimes I rather would have wanted to read my book…

Then we headed to the pool for some pool time before lunch. Lunch was the other half of the Publix sandwiches that we had gotten yesterday, with some chips and some of the hummus and baby carrots.

I have to say that I really loved having the living room of the one-bedroom-villa to hang out in and to have a proper table to sit and have a meal as well as proper dishes and cutlery. It truly made me feel far more at home.

We had decided that we wanted to take part in the guided tour around Kidani Village that afternoon. This is about the design of those buildings. Since I never had spent a lot of time there, I thought this would be a great opportunity to check it out properly.

But before heading there, we decided to check out our own savanna and see what was offered there from the public overlook:

We then took the scenic tour through Jambo House before we started our walk over to Kidani:

This is the sign of the restrooms at Boma:

The floor in the elevator lobby:

And the wonderful gift shop:

I love that this gift shop still has so much unique African merchandise and not just the same Disney stuff you can get at the Emporium on Main Street or Mousegears at Epcot. And it is not only resort specific Disney stuff either, but truly African crafts and things like that.

We then headed over to Kidani, and this is the entrance:

This candleholder is in the entrance way:

I tried my luck at some lobby pictures:

We checked out the shop there which is tiny compared to the one in Jambo House, but this had some African things as well:

Continued in Part 2

 

[Flossbolna]

Since we still had some time before our 4pm tour, we wandered around a bit more.

This is a hallway on the ground floor (one floor down from the lobby):

And then the entrance to Sanaa:

I always wanted to eat there, but I never seem to actually manage to get there. Somehow other places appeal more or it does not fit in with my park plans or whatever… I am sure I will get there at some point!

Restroom at Sanaa:

And then we explored the inside of the restaurant a bit, starting with the bar area:

We then checked out the savanna overlook. Here you are more in the savanna than at Jambo, but it also feels more closed in in my experience. But you can get quite close to the animals. We had fun watching the giraffes walking around. And I had fun with the zoom lense.

Finally, it was getting closer to 4pm and we went to the meeting point. Besides us there was only one other lady taking the tour and we had a wonderful CM as a tour guide, Hilka from Namibia. Since I once was in Namibia (and loved the country!) we chatted a bit about where she is from and tourism in general in Namibia. She then took us around the different public areas and explained the design that went into it. I really don’t want to spoil the tour for anyone who might be interested, so I will mainly show the pictures I took.

From the lobby we headed to a room off to the side of the lobby which I think was called the library:

From here we headed downstairs to Sanaa, here you can see Hilka explaining the entrance to Sanaa which is made up of woven baskets that would be used for food storage. It was really interesting that Hilka came from a rather rural area and she still was familiar with a lot of the older customs that were an inspiration for design features like those baskets:

More Sanaa pictures:

All in all it was an enjoyable tour and I am very happy we really took the time to appreciate the wonderful resort we were (nearly) staying at.

Next: Flying Fish Part 1 Part 2

 

[eandesmom]

Hi Cynthia, I still need to subscribe to your TR, I am so sorry!! Somehow I am having such a hard time to keep update on my TRs. And I hate it that with the DIS every time you log in, all the "first unread" counters are reset for all your threads, not just the ones that you really read. So you have to go search for where you were last time and then it suddenly becomes this whole chore...

Sorry for complaining - back to replying to your comment!

Oh my goodness, that is exactly it and then it becomes SO discouraging to try and get caught up!

I am fascinated by your deli comment. No deli's? I didn't realize.

Your dinner at Garden Grove looks really lovely actually, I would highly recommend that you try the Trails End Dinner Buffet if you love Barbeque, it was fabulous!!!!!!!!!!! And a great price.

Fun updates, I agree about the mixed feelings about the Storybook Circus area.

 

[Poolrat]

A great Lazy day. How nice to just spend time at the resort and learn more about it as you explore.


You got some great pictures. A nice way to spend the day.

 

[nodnol]

We started with a lazy morning. I brewed some more Disney coffee in our coffee maker and sat out on the balcony enjoying the view and tried to catch up on my trip notes. I have to say that I have a love and hate relationship with my trip notes. Even though without them I would not be able to write this TR anymore after so many months and it is wonderful to remember the trip through them. But it is also hard work to keep it up. Sometimes I rather would have wanted to read my book…

You do a much better job than I did on all my travels so far. If I ever write a TR about my last trip to DLP I have to rely on Mike's notes… I'm always either too tired or I am planning the next step.

And then the entrance to Sanaa:

I always wanted to eat there, but I never seem to actually manage to get there. Somehow other places appeal more or it does not fit in with my park plans or whatever… I am sure I will get there at some point!

While the restaurant looks really nice and the menu sounds good, I never felt I want to eat there. It doesn't seem to be special enough

Restroom at Sanaa:

Looks lika a cave, but in a good way!

From the lobby we headed to a room off to the side of the lobby which I think was called the library:

This looks really nice, like the library in Jambo House! I like the fireplace.

Next: Flying Fish

I hope you didn't get the table we had the last time. And I'm curious what you ordered….

 

[Flossbolna]

Oh my goodness, that is exactly it and then it becomes SO discouraging to try and get caught up!

I am fascinated by your deli comment. No deli's? I didn't realize.

Your dinner at Garden Grove looks really lovely actually, I would highly recommend that you try the Trails End Dinner Buffet if you love Barbeque, it was fabulous!!!!!!!!!!! And a great price.

Fun updates, I agree about the mixed feelings about the Storybook Circus area.

I think the function of the deli is kind of split between the butcher's shop and the bakery, both would sell all kind of food and sandwiches, but in a different way...

We actually did consider Trail's End for Dinner for that trip. But then had enough other places and did not want to eat a Disney sit down meal every single day...

And I am glad to hear that I am not the only one who is a bit critical of Storybook Circus!

A great Lazy day. How nice to just spend time at the resort and learn more about it as you explore.


You got some great pictures. A nice way to spend the day.

It was so wonderfully relaxing. I felt that I was truly taking advantage of my DVC points that trip and did not just use it as a place to sleep at night. I had always been good at enjoying the resorts, but AKL is really a wonderful place to forget about the rest of the world at large and the Disney-world.

 

[Flossbolna]

You do a much better job than I did on all my travels so far. If I ever write a TR about my last trip to DLP I have to rely on Mike's notes… I'm always either too tired or I am planning the next step.

At least you have one note-taker between the two of you! I never would have started writing TRs if it had not been for that first trip with you, when you made it quite clear that you wanted a TR and kept making me take notes. That is also the reason why I kept it up this time: Michael kept reminding me to get caught up with my notes. I guess, he wanted to read a TR as well (even if he never takes part in the discussions on here!).

While the restaurant looks really nice and the menu sounds good, I never felt I want to eat there. It doesn't seem to be special enough

Yes, I know what you mean! A curry seems so everyday lunch compared to a burger!! (And for our American readers: yes, we really mean it!)

Looks lika a cave, but in a good way!

That's true!

This looks really nice, like the library in Jambo House! I like the fireplace.

It was definitely less over the top than the library at Jambo House. But it seemed a very comfortable space to sit and chat or read a book. I thought Kidani was very pretty and the one thing that really makes me hesitate to stay there is the lack of a counter service restaurant...

I hope you didn't get the table we had the last time. And I'm curious what you ordered….

Nope, much better table. And you won't have to wait long to see what I ordered!

 

[Flossbolna]

This evening we had a 7:45pm reservation at Flying Fish. This was going to be our one splurge meal and I was really looking forward to it! Flying Fish has now been my overall favourite restaurant at WDW for a few years. However, on our last trip when Katharina and I were actually staying at the Boardwalk, it did not turn out as wonderful as the times before. But that was mainly due to circumstances besides the food (and I think to a large extent these were caused by a huge convention taking place at all the Epcot resorts). And since my second favourite was under refurbishment (California Grill), it was quite an easy choice where to go for our special meal! Since we had a row of 5 excellent dinners during the cruise, we felt that we should not splurge on so many signature meals during our WDW part of the trip.

We parked at the Boardwalk and made our way through the lobby to the restaurant. It was really lovely to walk through my home resort. As much as I love AKL, I also adore the BWV. Totally different, but wonderful in its own right. And while a few of my trips to AKL had some circumstances that were not too perfect (my travel mate deciding to become very obsessed with some religious reading just before our trip and wanting to spend a lot of day time in our room with the blinds closed sitting in her underwear on her bed reading her book and not taking part in a lot of the fun activities we had originally planned or in 2010 the freakish cold weather during Katharina’s first trip), I only have truly wonderful memories from the trip to the BWV in 2011. So, in a way, I am really grateful for this past trip as it helped AKL to be associated with many more happy memories again!!

Anyway, here are the Boardwalk pictures I took while walking through there:

“Welcome home” above the lobby entrance:

the beautiful lobby:

Pretty flowers all around:

Not sure whether these were especially for the Flower & Garden Festival or whether they are always so plenty… It was pretty though!!

And then the boardwalk itself:

Then we were at our destination:

The Flying Fish is a restaurant in an odd shape since it is rather narrow, but very long. I tried to capture some of the interior:

It really is rather whimsical in décor, with flying fish as the theme. It really fits the name and location very well!

We started off with some drinks, a Key Lime Martini for me:

And some kind of cranberry drink for Michael (I am sure it had a fancy name, but there isn’t any on the receipt…):

We also got a bread basket with those wonderful “fishy” cloth napkins

For a starter I had the Yellowfin Tuna Tartare and Crispy Tempura Tuna-Vegetable Sushi Roll - Hijiki and Wakame Seaweed, Yuzu Tobiko, Wasabi Foam, with Sweet-and-Spicy Sauce:

Michael had the “Seasonal Salad” (according to our receipt), I only remember that it included lettuce that was grown at the Land pavilion at Epcot:

After the appetizers I had finished my drink and decided to try one of their wine flights. I decided to go with the Cabernet one since I used to not be a fan of that wine, but recently had a few that I rather liked. So, this is what I got:

They even gave me a little card with some explanations about the wines that I had:

Unfortunately I don’t remember which I liked best, but they were all delicious and I would not mind having anyone of those again!

For our entrees we both wanted the steak. I know, it is a seafood restaurant, but it truly has the best steak at WDW! So I could not resist! Michael was really taken by a side dish they offered: Wilted Garlic and Lemon-scented Curly Spinach, so we decided to share one side order of that.

However, when ordering this, they got my order mixed up and they served me the spinach instead of the potatoes!

So, this is how my steak was served (I always order the sauce on the side with steak as I want to control the steak-sauce-ratio myself):

And this is what it normally looks like:

We also got a side order of spinach:

This does not look big at all, but this bowl was larger than what it looks like now.

Immediately I asked what happened to my potatoes and then it was discovered that there had been some misunderstanding. And immediately they offered to bring more potatoes for me. I forgot to take a picture of them, but they brought a huge portion!!

In the end we had enough trouble eating the steak so that we had quite a lot leftovers of the spinach and potatoes. So we asked for the to be packed up and they happily did that for us!

The steak was as wonderful as always. It has a fantastic rub on it and is chargrilled. I love that slightly burned taste that it gets. Also, I never had anything less than very good quality meat there. So I was truly happy with my meal. Michael was quite impressed as well, especially with the portion size! We really would have been able to split the steak between the two of us and would have been happy, especially with all that extra spinach! The only problem is that we don’t agree with regard to the level of how much a steak has to be cooked before it is being eaten.

Being very full from the steak did not prevent us from ordering dessert. We both got the Our Signature Flying Fish Café Caramelized Banana Napoleon - crisp phyllo, banana mousse, creme caramel, exotic fruit coulis and bitter chocolate:

On my second visit to the California Grill I had a similar dessert and that still in my mind is the best dessert I ever had at WDW. This one here came close, but did not get all the way there. I think the CG one also had an layer of home made banana icecream in it…. Still, we both really enjoyed our dessert!

And before we left I had to take a close up of my wonderful napkin!

Once again, this was a wonderful experience at the Flying Fish. The service was great, the food excellent and the company magical! What more could you wish for?? Ah, well, lower prices. This was not a cheap meal at all, it was quite expensive. The fact that they now have a discount of 10% (I think only on the food, not the alcohol) for DVC members did help a little!

Continued in Part 2