I Wish I Would've Packed More Stretchy Pants - Deluxe Dining Report April 2016 - 6/30 LE CELLIER

[Adgie128]

Your dinner looked delicious! I haven't done 'Ohana for dinner in years. I just tried breakfast in December and loved it. Since we've been paying OOP, I somehow have struggled with wanting to pay for dinner when I don't eat a lot of meat, but I think the other options and the atmosphere would make up for it.

 

[Jenlyn75]

So glad I found your post! Definitely following. The hubs and I are planning our first trip without the kids to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. Some of the places you are reviewing are on our list so I'm interested to hear what you have to say.

 

[lw4486]

Great review! Following as we are going to Ohana for the first time in a few weeks!

 

[Roxyfire]

You just sold me on one of those specialty slushies. Hopefully they'll have amazing ones for F&&W this year!

 

[Vernie822]

Love your reviews and pics! Ohana looks so yummy!!

Can't wait to read more of your reports, really enjoying them!

Aww thank you!

Can't wait for more!

Thanks!! I need to get on it!

Your dinner looked delicious! I haven't done 'Ohana for dinner in years. I just tried breakfast in December and loved it. Since we've been paying OOP, I somehow have struggled with wanting to pay for dinner when I don't eat a lot of meat, but I think the other options and the atmosphere would make up for it.

It was so good! I can definitely see where you're coming from with not eating a lot of meat. I've seen them bring out tofu stir fry & a hummus platter for those who don't eat meat, so there are lots of options! I think the sides are the best part.. oh and the dessert!

So glad I found your post! Definitely following. The hubs and I are planning our first trip without the kids to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. Some of the places you are reviewing are on our list so I'm interested to hear what you have to say.

YAY for a 15th anniversary trip! That is so fun! Congrats!

Great review! Following as we are going to Ohana for the first time in a few weeks!

Thanks!! Oh my gosh, I hope you love it! Have a great trip.

You just sold me on one of those specialty slushies. Hopefully they'll have amazing ones for F&&W this year!

It was delicious! They always have the lemon & the Grand Marnier ones, but this was fun to switch it up. Hopefully they'll have a F&W one too, I would love to try!

 

[Vernie822]

FERRYTALE WISHES DESSERT CRUISE


OK, full disclosure (as Pete always says on the podcast), I did not pay for this cruise.

We were to check in at 8:45 at the TTC (right to the left of the monorails, where the boats pick up), for a 9 PM cruise. Fireworks that night were at 10. I found very few reviews of this online, so forgive me if this is long winded.

We checked in at a podium at the TTC, where we were given a little booklet listing all of the desserts. In that booklet was also a special Ferrytale Wishes dessert pin.

We were each given a light up necklace and a light up champagne flute with sparkling apple cider. We hung around in a waiting area with some high cocktail tables, waiting to board the cruise. Seating was available – honestly I don’t know what I would call this area other than a waiting area – but there were benches.

A CM explained how the cruise would work: drinks were all downstairs, desserts and food upstairs (with a table downstairs for those who cannot make it upstairs). We’d cruise towards MK and park it in the lake for the show.


Around 9 PM, the General Joe Potter was ready for us to board!


(Note: use the bathroom before you get on the boat! There is one toilet and I didn’t use it but I heard it was not the best.)


Drinks were available downstairs, including: coffee, hot chocolate, tea, soft drinks, Bud Light and Heineken, dry red and dry white wine, lemon punch (I think this was non alcoholic) and vodka punch.


They also handed everyone a souvenir plastic plate with a holder for your flute.

Justin decided to get a Bud Light, but when he saw me heading for the vodka punch, he decided to try that too.


We headed upstairs to find a seat. The CM’s told us the best place to park it was on the right side of the boat. Seating is VERY limited. Imagine the ferry you use to get to MK, there’s only the bench seating.. that’s what’s available here. We headed to the back of the boat on the right side and found a cocktail table. They had added some high and low cocktail tables.


There were 2 big dessert tables upstairs and one downstairs. Again the CM’s told us the table downstairs was specifically for those who couldn’t make it upstairs.


Justin decided to hold our table while I went and filled up a plate for us to share. There is limited space on this cruise – I believe they sell 150 tickets – and only 2 main dessert tables. So let me just tell you this thing was PACKED. There was no order whatsoever. Everyone was crowding around trying to grab desserts, so I just hopped in a line that was forming. Of course no one adhered to the line and just jumped in, so I waited it out until it settled a little.

Here are the different dessert choices. Sorry my pictures are so terrible – some of the Disney blogs have great pictures! I actually got a Nikon camera for Christmas that I used for the first time on our trip, and let’s just say I need some practice LOL! So I'm sorry for the lack of pics, it was SO DARK and I couldn't squeeze in between people to get many pictures.


Grand Floridian Key Lime Tart
(Thanks Allears for the pic!)

Contemporary “Traditional With a Twist” Flourless Chocolate Cake

Polynesian – Deconstructed Pineapple Upside Down Cake (2nd from left, photo from AllEars)

Mickey Balloon Tarts

Fireworks Cupcakes – Mini cupcakes with white icing & pop rocks on top
(Photo from Allears)

Cinderella Glass Slipper with Orange Financier (they recommended not eating them.. she did say they'd keep for some time if you wanted to take it home, minus the orange stuff).

No Sugar Added Florida Mango Panna Cotta
(Dairy & gluten free, allergy friendly)

Here's a picture of our souvenir glasses with the punch:

Here's our little table set up:

So let’s start with what we tried. I tried to get one of just about everything. As much as I love dessert, I really don’t care for fruity stuff (give me all the chocolate) so a lot of these didn’t appeal to me. Justin is usually a plain-er dessert eater but it was all there for trying so he tasted everything!


I really liked the Polynesian pineapple upside down cake. It was served deconstructed in a little shot glass and had a squirty thing (there is probably a better choice of words there but that’s what it was). It was REALLY good! I wish I would have had a few more of these.


Justin said the Mickey balloon tarts were tasty. It was like a gelatin in a tart crust – maybe similar to a solid pudding. I didn’t try these, I’m not really big on that texture but he said they tasted good.


Justin really liked the Contemporary flourless chocolate cake! It was nice and thick with a spicy kick from the cayenne pepper. I tried it and it was nice and thick. I think the decoration on top was edible sugar, but neither one of us ate it.


He also liked the mini cupcakes, they had pop rocks on top so that gave them a little bit of flair. It was a basic cupcake, but it was good! Something kids would definitely enjoy.


I tried the Grand Floridian key lime tart – really delicious! Not too sour, and somewhat unique.


In addition to the desserts, they also had a few different types of cheese, some pita bread, baguette, multi grain bread, and fruit. The fruit options were limited, I think it was just grapes and strawberries. Perhaps more was there before and that was left.


When I was getting our dessert, it seemed like the CM’s were trying to keep up with the emptying serving dishes as much as they could. I don’t think there was anything that I wanted that was all gone.


A CM also came around and handed out Mickey bars, Mickey ice cream sandwiches, and the Olaf popsicles. I unfortunately was up getting us some more dessert and didn’t grab one, but they gave some out on the way out as well!


They had an activity for the kids with flashlights and hidden Mickeys. I think the Mickeys were hidden and when you used the flashlight (a blacklight), you could see the Mickeys. The kids seemed to really love it.


There was a good mix of families with kids and adults only groups on the cruise. I would say it was about 50/50. They did a nice job of having good options for little ones, and good options for adults looking to have a nice experience.


We sailed towards MK and kind of made a right, so that we were parallel with the train station. We were on the right side of the ship, so we had a perfect view. We settled in just as Celebrate the Magic was ending – so note if you’re thinking of doing this – this is NOT the place to watch Celebrate the Magic if you were thinking of catching both.


There were 2 or 3 Photopass people making their way around the ship taking pictures. They had a life preserver to hold up and take a picture with. We also had her take a few on my camera. The Photopass pictures we got were downright AWFUL, I think one or both of us have our eyes closed in all of them, so you won’t be seeing those LOL!


The view of the fireworks was amazing! Definitely a different way to watch them. Justin commented about how awesome the Christmas party fireworks were from the Poly, and this was even better (we were closer, but still far enough away to get the full picture).

And with no zoom:

After the fireworks, the ferry sailed back to the TTC. On the way off the boat, they had more Mickey bars and ice cream sandwiches for the road!

They also gave away balloons to the kids. They let everyone know that there were 4 buses waiting to take us back to our resorts. We had to walk to the other side of the TTC (not a far walk by any means) and CM’s were there to tell us which bus was ours. I think we ended up on a bus with a few people from AoA, Caribbean Beach, and Boardwalk.


The fireworks began at 10 and lasted until about 10:20. We were off the boat by 10:30 and I think we left the TTC by 10:45, so we were home shortly after 11. It was SO NICE that they had transportation for the people on the cruise, because as we were heading towards the TTC that evening, I thought “Crap, getting back to MK and getting on a bus is going to be awful!”


Funny – neither one of us wanted our ice cream sandwiches on the way out, so we kept them and figured we’d put them in the freezer at the resort. I had forgotten that the fridges don’t have a freezer, so we ended up throwing them away thinking they wouldn’t be able to be frozen. I put my refillable mug in the fridge and the next morning, my drink was frozen solid. Soooo we could’ve kept those ice creams after all!


My overall impression – this was really, really cool. It was a fun thing to do outside of watching Wishes at MK. It seemed like a very exclusive experience. No crowds, great service, desserts, alcohol – and lots of fun. Would I do this again and pay $99 per adult? MAYBE if I was doing something special for a birthday or a celebration. I don’t think it is an every-trip kind of thing for us at all. But, most people who are there only every 2-3 years, or once in a lifetime, may think differently, and I totally agree with that. I believe kids are $69, which is a nice discount, although still a steep price.


Another thing to consider is, if we were doing it again we would probably do a quick service meal that evening. We really only did Ohana because we love it, it was earlier in the day, and we only made plans for this about 2 weeks in advance. So if you switch to quick service instead of a sit down, you save money that could be used towards the cruise. Since you get there at 8:45 it’s not your whole evening but a good chunk of it, and if we wanted to get some rides in we’d probably just do quick service next time!


I would definitely do this again!​

 

[Jenlyn75]

You just sold me on one of those specialty slushies. Hopefully they'll have amazing ones for F&&W this year!

You must get one. We had the "pink slushie" during our visit over spring break. Totally worth it...delicious!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

Nice to see a cruise review but it seems expensive if you look at the food and drink and a ferry that busy. Looking forward to more

 

[DisneyJo]

The cruise sounds lovely and the desserts look really delicious!

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Ashley - I made it over here, and I'm posting (and not just lurking and drooling) outside of the Podcast Forum - sssshhhhh, don't tell! LOL. Seriously - very much enjoying your report, and really enjoying your excellent post about the FairyTale Dessert Cruise, which I told you I thought you SO deserved, so glad it was special for you! Those desserts all looking incredible - so creative, and unique!

 

[suse66]

I had been going back on forth on booking this as a special treat during my 50th trip but your review has helped me decide to go another path. I think I am going to treat myself to a lovely dinner/ fireworks view from California Grill instead, I think I'd enjoy having an appy, sushi and bevs more than the all dessert option.

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

Definitely I nice bit of pixie dust there. And don't feel bad about complaining in the first place (not that you even really did that - you just politely pointed out some issues) - if people don't then Disney won't realise the impact changing things at the last minute has on vacations planned months/years in advance!

Apart from the fireworks view I don't think the cruise is that appealing - especially at that price - but for free I'm sure it was great fun!

 

[momtotaryn]

As much as I'd love to go on a cruise and see the fireworks, I'm not much of a sweets person, so a dessert cruise wouldn't work for me. Now if it were a dinner cruise, I'd be all in. Still, I LOVE looking at pics of food, and especially desserts. Everything is so pretty and looks delicious! TFS!

 

[Vernie822]

I had been going back on forth on booking this as a special treat during my 50th trip but your review has helped me decide to go another path. I think I am going to treat myself to a lovely dinner/ fireworks view from California Grill instead, I think I'd enjoy having an appy, sushi and bevs more than the all dessert option.

I'm glad I could help! I totally agree, with a similar view of Wishes, Cali Grill sounds much more appealing. I kept thinking "we could eat at a signature for $200"!

 

[ariane37]

Nice to see a review of the Ferrytale Wishes Cruise. I've never considered this and while it looks neat in a way, I think I'd spend our $$ on something else. I'm ALL about desserts and a couple of those look so neat (the Cinderella slipper and even the Mickey balloon tarts!) but they don't sound that appealing. I need a ton of chocolate-and maybe a little PB thrown in for good measure lol. But I'll try anything Disney throws at me for free, and I think you deserved it
We did the Tomorrowland Terrace dessert party a number of years ago before it was ridiculously priced and even though they had more chocolate that didn't impress me much, either. I'll tell you what desserts impressed me: the CLUB VILLAIN desserts! Best selection of desserts I've seen at a Disney party!
I like seeing all the different places you can catch Wishes, too. It has to be cool watching it from out on the water.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Interesting review of the Wishes cruise. It had intrigued me when I first heard about it. As you mentioned, it might be something for a special occasion, but I don't think those particular desserts are quite worth the $99 for me.

 

[DLFan123]

Loved your O'hana review! Can't wait to try it when we go back to the Polynesian in December! Thanks for sharing.

 

[kastoney]

Missed the beginning but I'm all caught up and of course hungry now. Was hoping our paths would cross, but alas I'm sure we were both too busy eating ; )

Everything looks great so far. Can't believe you got the wishes cruise for free. What pixie dust indeed!

 

[bbak30]

The cruise looked fun! Honestly, I didn't even know it existed.

 

[Vernie822]

Nice to see a review of the Ferrytale Wishes Cruise. I've never considered this and while it looks neat in a way, I think I'd spend our $$ on something else. I'm ALL about desserts and a couple of those look so neat (the Cinderella slipper and even the Mickey balloon tarts!) but they don't sound that appealing. I need a ton of chocolate-and maybe a little PB thrown in for good measure lol. But I'll try anything Disney throws at me for free, and I think you deserved it
We did the Tomorrowland Terrace dessert party a number of years ago before it was ridiculously priced and even though they had more chocolate that didn't impress me much, either. I'll tell you what desserts impressed me: the CLUB VILLAIN desserts! Best selection of desserts I've seen at a Disney party!
I like seeing all the different places you can catch Wishes, too. It has to be cool watching it from out on the water.

I agree - they looked nice, but taste-wise I think I like other things such as.. CHOCOLATE. But really, the traditional or basic options were pretty limited. I bet the Club Villain desserts were awesome! That experience in general just sounded like a blast and considering the price you pay for that vs. the Ferrytale cruise, it sounds like for slightly more you get a LOT more experience and food-wise. It was a really neat viewing spot, but part of me did think, gee I could have had this (or a similar) view from California Grill for probably about the same price.

Interesting review of the Wishes cruise. It had intrigued me when I first heard about it. As you mentioned, it might be something for a special occasion, but I don't think those particular desserts are quite worth the $99 for me.

Definitely agree - the desserts did not really appeal to me personally, though they were good, but yes for a special occasion I think it's a nice thing!

Loved your O'hana review! Can't wait to try it when we go back to the Polynesian in December! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for reading!

Missed the beginning but I'm all caught up and of course hungry now. Was hoping our paths would cross, but alas I'm sure we were both too busy eating ; )

Everything looks great so far. Can't believe you got the wishes cruise for free. What pixie dust indeed!

You're back!!! Hope you guys had a great trip. Can't wait to read all about it. I was so hoping we would see you guys!! You're so right we were both probably holed up in a restaurant somewhere eating or drinking I couldn't believe they offered us the cruise, either! Definitely major pixie dust.

The cruise looked fun! Honestly, I didn't even know it existed.

It was lots of fun! I think it's new as of last fall, I had heard about it when it first rolled out but honestly that's about it!