I haven't been this excited about my birthday since I turned 21! COMPLETE

[emmebear]

I am so happy we got to spend some time together!

Emme really enjoyed her time with you as well.

Looking forward to your report!

 

[mermaid79]

Happy late bday. Looks like you had a fantastic time there. SO magical for you.

 

[DisneyMomFanatic]

I am in and can't wait to see what you have for us this time around. We are awaiting our own trip to WDW in July, so in the mean time, I will have your updates to keep me busy.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Welcome back.

 

[farrahalex76]

Welcome back! I enjoyed following you on Instagram, I can't wait to here all the details. Your Boardwalk room was so amazing. That's my dream, to go on a solo trip to Disney and have a king room all to my self.

 

[auntfrannie]

Your list has so many of my favorites! I can't wait to read about your wonderful meals.

 

[jabead]

Welcome back Barb. Looking forward to your reviews

Thanks Jeanette!

Followed you over from Paula's postings! Looking forward to seeing more yummy food!

Thanks for coming over Tania...I promise there will be an abundance of yummy food to see!

Welcome home - can't wait for the start

Thanks! I will get started momentarily, so stay tuned.

I am so happy we got to spend some time together!

Emme really enjoyed her time with you as well.

Looking forward to your report!

I so enjoyed hanging out with you and Emme and look forward to seeing you both again in October!

Happy late bday. Looks like you had a fantastic time there. SO magical for you.

Thank you, and yes getting to spend my actual birthday at Disney World was very magical for me.

I am in and can't wait to see what you have for us this time around. We are awaiting our own trip to WDW in July, so in the mean time, I will have your updates to keep me busy.

Hi Karla! Glad you're here!

Welcome back.

Thanks! I would say that it's good to be back but we all know that that would not be true.

Welcome back! I enjoyed following you on Instagram, I can't wait to here all the details. Your Boardwalk room was so amazing. That's my dream, to go on a solo trip to Disney and have a king room all to my self.

Thanks for following along on Instagram Farrah, glad you enjoyed it. The Boardwalk is one of my favorite Disney resorts...I love the location!

Your list has so many of my favorites! I can't wait to read about your wonderful meals.

Thanks Fran! I did have many wonderful meals on this trip and only one that was pretty much a stinker both food and service-wise.

 

[jabead]

Since I won't be doing a trip report, I will warn you now that there will be a few non-dining related photos, stories, etc. that will be included in my dining report. A prime example is this first post, which is completely devoid of food.


My trip began on Sunday, April 27, which also happened to be my birthday. Once again I had left my packing to be done the night before and was up until 1:30 a.m. doing it. When will I ever learn??? Anyway, I had a 7:00 a.m. flight so after about 3 hours of sleep it was time to head for the airport. I was asked to trade seats in order to allow a young family to sit together, so I ended up sitting in the first row. When we arrived at the Orlando airport, I was the first one off the plane and the adrenaline (or I like to think of it as "Disney magic") kicked in. I sprinted to the shuttle that takes you to the main terminal and then bypassing the stairs I did a free fall jump from the 3rd to the 1st floor to arrive at the totally Magical Express bus station in record time. I was rewarded for my efforts by having a nearly full bus sitting there awaiting my arrival. I boarded and we immediately departed for the World, stopping first at the "construction zone" formerly known as the Polynesian Resort, followed by the Grand Floridian, and then finally my destination...




...the beautiful Wilderness Lodge!!


While at the online check-in desk, I looked to my left and saw a couple of people that I recognized checking in...



Paula (smile4stamps) & her DH, Hunter


We talked for awhile and they invited me to have lunch with them at Sanaa, but I declined since I had something else in mind. We then went our separate ways, with Paula & Hunter heading to the Villas and I jumped in the lobby elevator to take me to my 5th floor standard view room #5081. I was a bit nervous about the location of this room, as they had told me that it was overlooking the lobby. This meant I had about a 50 - 50 chance of being in a room above Whispering Canyon Cafe, with only a one floor buffer between me and the hootin' and a hollerin' that goes on there from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. But I was relieved to discover that my room was not only a short walk from the elevator but that it was located at the far end corner of the hall which lies above the restaurant side of the lobby. For a visual reference, the door to my room was hidden behind the fireplace...





I heard no noise whatsoever from the restaurant during my 3 night stay in this room and had the privilege of having a great view of the beautiful Wilderness Lodge lobby right outside my door...




...so I was one happy camper! And speaking of camping, the rooms here have a log cabin-like coziness feel to them...





I especially like the wood-carved headboards...




...and the animals which are perched at the top of the bed posts.





Oh, and be forewarned that at the Lodge you will be showering with these cute Disney critters...




So in conclusion, I have stayed at Wilderness Lodge during part of my last three trips to Disney World and booked a room at a 35% off Bounce Back rate for part of my next trip in October. Needless to say, I'm now a huge fan of this resort and would highly recommend it.




​

Next up: Sunday Brunch at Raglan Road

 

[DisKH]

Subscribing!
I've always wanted to stay at the Wilderness Lodge!
Looking forward to the food pics

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Happy Belated Birthday Barb! Awesome start! Looks like a fantastic lineup. Just started following you on Instagram too, so I'll cheat a little bit and catch up with your food on there too.

Can't wait to read all about your trip!

 

[DisneyMomFanatic]

Great pictures. Some day I hope to be able to stay at that resort. I just love the look of Wilderness lodge.

 

[JintyB]

Great start Barb, even without any food! I love the Wilderness Lodge.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Hi Barb, I was a lurker on your last dining thread and followed you to your new thread. You had a great room location at the WL. We love that resort and we also have a bounce back at the WL for October. It will be our first time at Food & Wine and we couldn't be more excited.

 

[daisymomof4]

Hi Barb, I'll be jumping in here and following along

Our trips overlapped and despite my good intentions I have turned out to be a most miserable live thread updater (I was going to try to finally contribute to that awesome set of threads I've been following for months!). Or more precisely, I am a most miserable food-photo taker, lol. Could never remember to do it. I'll have to live vicariously through your pics, which I am sure to enjoy.

 

[disney meema]

Following along ... Great start and Happy Belated birthday to you!

 

[jabead]

Subscribing!
I've always wanted to stay at the Wilderness Lodge!
Looking forward to the food pics

Thanks for joining in, DisKH! There will be food pics coming your way very soon.

Happy Belated Birthday Barb! Awesome start! Looks like a fantastic lineup. Just started following you on Instagram too, so I'll cheat a little bit and catch up with your food on there too.

Can't wait to read all about your trip!

Hi Jeri! Hey, when are you leaving for Disney World?

Great pictures. Some day I hope to be able to stay at that resort. I just love the look of Wilderness lodge.

Thanks Karla! I too still have a few resorts that I would love to try, like Port Orleans French Quarter. With my family of 5, we were limited in the past on which Disney resorts we could stay in and all be in one room. Now with taking solo trips, I'm able to try other resorts like the Wilderness Lodge. However, I like it so much now and my old favorite, the Boardwalk, that it will be hard to venture away from those two.

Great start Barb, even without any food! I love the Wilderness Lodge.

Thanks Jeanette! After staying at this resort three times in a little more than a year's time, I too must say that I love the Wilderness Lodge. The Polynesian used to be my favorite MK resort, but the Wilderness has stolen my heart!

Hi Barb, I was a lurker on your last dining thread and followed you to your new thread. You had a great room location at the WL. We love that resort and we also have a bounce back at the WL for October. It will be our first time at Food & Wine and we couldn't be more excited.

Hi Wood Nymph! Thanks for lurking and now posting! When will you be there in October? My dates are not set in stone yet, as I haven't purchased my airfare, but I'm looking at around 10/23 - 11/4 and will probably do a split stay between the the Wilderness and the Boardwalk.

Hi Barb, I'll be jumping in here and following along

Our trips overlapped and despite my good intentions I have turned out to be a most miserable live thread updater (I was going to try to finally contribute to that awesome set of threads I've been following for months!). Or more precisely, I am a most miserable food-photo taker, lol. Could never remember to do it. I'll have to live vicariously through your pics, which I am sure to enjoy.

Hi daisymomof4! It's a pity that we didn't run into each other, as I love meeting people from the DISboards. As far as remembering to take food photos, it is a habit that is hard to develop but once you do it is extremely difficult to break. I've been home for about 3 days now and I'm still fighting the urge to take photos of my food.

Following along ... Great start and Happy Belated birthday to you!

Thanks for following along, disney meema, and thanks for the birthday wishes!

 

[Linda67]

Ooh you've started - exciting
Ah, love the pictures of the lodge, we shall miss it in June

 

[jabead]

After checking in, I had originally planned to have lunch right there at the Wilderness Lodge at Whispering Canyon Cafe. I even already knew exactly what I would order there...

Grilled Herb-marinated Chicken Sandwich on a Corn-dusted Roll with Roasted Peppers and Chipotle Spread with Sweet Potato Fries (1/2 share pictured)

I had shared this sandwich and fries with my son during our lunch at WCC in March 2013 and we both loved it, so I was looking forward to having it again. However, a couple of days before my trip, the idea of going to Raglan Road for Sunday Brunch came to me. I decided not to make an ADR though, and just wait and see what I felt like doing when I arrived.


And so, where did I go for my first bite of Disney food???






I took the Downtown Disney bus from the Wilderness Lodge and got off at the second DTD bus stop, West Side/Pleasure Island, which was just a short walk from Raglan Road. Without an ADR, I had only about a 5 minute wait before I was seated at a two-top table with a great view of the stage. This stage is where most of the action takes place each evening at Raglan Road, and also from Noon - 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.




Appearing on stage this particular Sunday afternoon was one of the house bands, The Raglan Rebels...




I really enjoyed listening to them and also watching the Irish dancers perform...




A few times while I was there, one of the dancers would be featured on a smaller stage which was very close to where I was seated.










Now on to the food, beginning with their complementary signature bread service, which consists of the delicious Irish Soda Bread...




...that is even more delicious when dipped in the Guinness and sugar reduction with olive oil.



It seems that people either love or hate this stuff, and I happen to be one of those who love it.



Next let's take a look at the special Brunch portion of the menu, which is available to order from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. on Sundays.





In addition, many of their regular entrees are available, including my favorite, Fish & Chips.





A full bar menu includes a variety of imported and domestic beers as well as wine, whiskey and these specialty cocktails...




I was tempted to try Raglan Road's version of a Bloody Mary (the Irish Red Eye), which included a Guinness floater, but decided against it. I also strongly considered ordering my usual Raglan Road entree of Fish & Chips, but decided that I needed to expand my horizons and try something from their special Brunch menu.



Eggs En Cocotte - Farm fresh eggs baked with spinach, mushrooms and Dubliner cheddar cheese served with toast soldiers - $15.00





Toast soldiers are strips of toast, which I ate by dipping them into the egg mixture.


Now for my critique of this entree. First of all, I have to admit that the menu description completely fooled me, as I was expecting this to be more along the lines of a crustless quiche. However, in reality this turned out to be more like a cheddar cheese soup with pieces of hard boiled eggs and mushrooms. This was cooked and served in a small ceramic pot/casserole (or cocotte in French), hence the name of this entree, "Eggs en Cocotte".


Here's a blurry picture of what this looks like underneath the top layer of baked cheese...



Though the cheese "soup" was flavorful, I didn't care for the consistency of this dish. Maybe because it wasn't what I was expecting, but I found this to be a little odd and would probably not order it again.


However, my meal ended on a high note, as I couldn't possibly dine at Raglan Road without having their signature dessert...




Ger’s Bread & Butter Pudding - $8.50


This heavenly dessert is baked and served in a cup and is accompanied by two small pitchers, one with creme anglaise and the other filled with caramel sauce...




The best way to eat this is by inverting the entire cup of bread pudding on to the plate and then pouring the sauces over it. However, with only enough room left for a small portion of this, I took the slightly crisp top part off (which is my favorite part) and poured a generous amount of the sauces onto it...



Sorry for the blurry pic, but I hadn't quite figured out all the camera settings yet.


Sadly, I had to leave behind a majority of this delicious dessert because I had hit the wall and could not eat one more bite.




So in conclusion, my first experience with Sunday Brunch at Raglan Road was for the most part good and one that I hope to repeat on my next trip in October...I'll just try a different Brunch entree or perhaps have the tried-and-true fish and chips. ​

Next up: My Birthday Dinner at California Grill

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Barb,

Thanks for sharing the pics of the Wilderness Lodge. I'm staying there for the first time in June and can't wait! I booked a Woods View room because I was concerned about the noise from WCC too. Glad it was no bother to you.

Bravo for trying something new at Raglan Road! Sorry it didnt turn out as you had hoped but at least you had great dessert and entertainment.

 

[stitchaholic]

happy birthday ! I am in for the ride ! I completely understand about the eggs en cocotte , i am a complete texture person too , and if the texture is off , i am out , lol !