My first Out Of Pocket Trip - Yak n' Yeti update & what is no longer a snack credit!!

[Tinker'n'Fun]

and I have to admit, I am not much of a fan! We definetely prefer the Dining Plan. I have decided not to add up the cost of the food but I am sure that it far exceded what we would have paid for the dining plan if we had stayed on site. Sometimes you just don't have the option.

Who: Me, DH, DD17, DS14, DMom, and DSis, and around 150 teenage girls and chaperone's... (Thank God I didn't have to make ADR's for everyone)

When: April 19 - April 24

Why: DD danced in the parade down Main Street... Yeah!!

Where:

Sun. April 18th. - Capones Dinner Theater
Mon. April 19th. - The Plaza Restaurant (late lunch)
Mon. April 19th. - Wishes Dessert Party
Tues April 20th. - LeCellier - lunch
Wed. April 21st. - Mama Melrose - lunch
Wed. April 21st. - 50's Primetime Diner - lunch (DD and friends)
Thur. April 22nd. - Yak n' Yeti - lunch
Friday April 23rd - Wolfgang Express - dinner


I must admit the only pictures I took were of people and the Wishes Dessert Party. We made ADR's for everything except Yak n' Yeti. We did walk up that day and we were seated in 10 minutes. The parks were very light in my opinion the whole week. We never waited more than a few minutes for tables and the restaurants never felt crowded. Hope you enjoy and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask....

So let's get the show on the road....

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

First, here is the link if anyone is interested: http://www.alcapones.com/

We left Buffalo on Saturday Morning by busloads (yes that is plural) and we arrived in Florida in time for a quick rest-stop breakfast and Mass at 8:30am. We checked into our rooms around 3ish. and dinner was at 7pm.

Capones is a dinner show that is based on the times and lives in Chicago during the Al Capone mobster era. The waitstaff is part of the show and it is quite entertaining. Many of the jokes did have "undertones" that would have not been caught by a younger crowd and actually most of the kids were not impressed with the show, but did enjoy the meal. It would be a great place for older couples as it does have an all you can drink option for only $5.00 more.

The buffet (pronouced buff-it for some strange reason) included:

All-You-Can-Eat Dinner Buffet
Lasagna
Fettuccini Alfredo
Pasta Marinara
Pasta Salad
Garden Salad
Bread Sticks
Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
Roast Turkey & Dressing
Slow-roasted Pot Roast
Italian Sausage Peppers & Onions
Corn
Green Beans
Macaroni & Cheese
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

The food was very good, fresh and the workers constantly cleaned and replenished the buffet. I was really impressed! As an adult, I did enjoy the show. They have a little gift shop attached and the service was very quick. Dessert was pound cake with fresh strawberries and topping.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

We had a 3:50pm reservation for 5 at The Plaza Restaurant. I really enjoy this meal. It is always refreshing and the views are wonderful... BUT, much to my dismay The Plaza is undergoing a rehab right now and the building is tarped with fake windows and there was no natural sunlight in the building. I asked our server how long the rehab would be taking place but she was unable to answer.... So if you have an ADR soon, just be aware of the rehab.

We were all very excited to have just watched DD dance down Main Street. We only waited for a few minutes to be seated and were seated in the middle of the restaurant. See above for our views.. Everyone except DS ordered the Cheesesteak sandwich. DS ordered the Plaza club with cheese.

The food was very good and extremely fresh tasting. The only negative was that they over salted the fries. Everyone in our party stated this and we have some real salt lovers. We passed on dessert because of the dessert party in the evening. Our service was very effecient and the food was good. A solid "A" for the meal.


Wishes Dessert Party...

I admit this was the second time we have attended but this was much more work with having 12 people. We lined up at 8:40pm for a 9:00pm party. The workers were very effecient and we all got our wrist bands. We were missing 2 people but they still let us enter at around 9ish or a few minutes before. The desserts were the same as last year, and they added a few extra drinks this time. We were offered hot chocolate and white milk. Both were a great addition. The desserts were as wonderful as we remembered and the company was delightful. We were lucky as the rain from most of the day did end and Tinkerbell flew over us in all her glory. It really is amazing to be there and see the fireworks. We did stand at the wall. The desserts were "NOT" taken away after the fireworks and if we were not so tired, we could have stayed and enjoyed a bit more. Also, I asked 4 different people and "TIPS ARE NOT ACCEPTED". They are included in the price. Hope you enjoy some of the pictures....

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

We originally had ADR's for 8 at 1:40pm. My mother and sister joined the celebration late in the game. I was able to get them an ADR for 2:30pm. I took the chance and when LeCellier opened for the day I asked if they could add my Mom and Sis. It was no problem and we ended up at a table in front of the fireplace. Very, very, nice.

Only 3 appetizers were ordered, the Cheddar Cheese soup, the Tomato Stack, and the Trio Lump Crab Cakes. The consensus was that the soup and the Tomato stack were excellent, and that the Crab cakes were way too fishy and not "right". I only have a picture of the tomato stack...

Our entrees came out at a great time, not too soon, not too long of a wait. Our waitress also was very, very nice and patient with us.

The majority of the table ordered the LeCellier filet (1/2 risotta lovers 1/2 mashed potatoes), but we also had a few Salmon BLT's, and a New York strip.

Salmon BLT

Everyone enjoyed there entree's and the only extra's left on the plates were the salmon blt's. Both parties said it was really good, but it was too filling.

As what turned out to be common this trip, I was the only one who ordered a dessert. I got the maple creme brulee. It came with at least 7 spoons and it was really good. I am glad I ordered, but not sure I like sharing with everyone, and next time I will order two!!

Overall it was a great lunch and deserved a great big "B++". A little off because of the crab appetizer and a little off because our eyes were bigger than our stomachs.... Okay that really isn't the restaurants fault!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I will do a quick review of 50's Primetime since I wasn't physically there...

DD and 27 friends had a 11:30am lunch ADR. Well all was said and done 14 showed up. They pretty much had one of everything on the menu. Being teenagers they all loved their food and found the added gratuity perfect so none of the kids could skip out on it. If anyone wants a specific review of dish, let me know.

Mama Melrose...

What can I say. I am on the "love" it bandwagon for this restaurant. The meal was absolutely wonderful and they put out a birthday dessert for my mother that was over the top wonder!!

For appetizers we shared caesar salad, Mozzarella and Tomatoes, and Mixed Greens Salad.

Mozzarella and Tomato

The appetizers were all very fresh and chilled perfectly. The hit of the day was the mixed greens. It had gorganzola cheese, candied walnuts, grapes, and one other fruit (pear if I remember correctly). It was very good. The tomato and mozzarella was fresh and it was nice to eat a very fresh tomato for a change. We are from up North and our tomatoes are still very bland.

For entree's we all shared flatbreads. We ordered the 4 cheese, grilled chicken, and the pepperoni. They were all very tasty.

Our waiter was absolutely the best of the trip. And the biggest mistake I made was not taking a picture of the great dessert plate they made up for my Mom for her birthday. It was her first trip and this was the only restaurant that even acknowledged it. The dessert plate was to die for... Picture this...

White oblong plate with both a rasberry and chocolate drizzle. Top the drizzle with 2 warm chocolate truffle cakes with fancy edible swizzles. Add to the plate a piece of the new Amaretto Cheescake and a dish of Crema Limone. It was stunning, and I am kicking myself for not taking that picture.

We all left stuffed and the waiter left with a huge tip from us! It was well worth it.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

We were at Animal Kingdom on Earth day, and believe it or not, it was scary light crowds. Great for us, but really had me wondering why?. By 11:30 we had rode all the rides and were ready for lunch. We were going to do CS but after running around the park, I call wdw-dine to see if we could get into Yak and Yeti. They said the only available table was at 3:30, so we tried walk-up. We were seating in less than 10 minutes. So when all else fails, try to walk up. It may be worth the trip.

(see we really were tired... LOL)

I love the restaurant theme and decor. It was set back a bit out of the hustle and bustle and the restaurant was air conditioned, but not super cold like some are.

I brought a few extra girls with us because I knew that they were a bit "over" budget for the trip and may not eat enough. We decided to do a sharing meal for DH and the kids, and the friends ordered what they liked.

On the table were: Kids meal chicken nuggets, pot stickers, dim sum basket, egg rolls, chicken fried rice, brown rice, baby-back ribs, and sweet and sour chicken.

Kids chicken nuggets were declared the best of the trip and the applesauce hit the spot.

Dim sum basket: Was compared to the place where the young lady works as almost better than my restaurant.

Pot Stickers, Rice, and Eggrolls - 100% better than our chinese place. Not a drip of grease!! Very good.

Baby-back ribs - fell of the bone making it very easy to share. Great, great flavor.

Sweet and Sour Chicken - All white meat, made with fresh pineapple and peppers. What a great treat and my DD who never eats veggies loved it. I would take her there just to get her veggies in her...

We skipped dessert and headed over to the Dino Bites Kiosk for homemade ice cream sandwiches. Sorry to report that the price was increased to $4.19 taking it out of the snack credit pool. This was the only time during the trip that paying OOP was not defeating to me.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Being on a bus trip with 100 teenagers you would think that "shopping" time would be plentiful. Nope, not for us. We had 3 hours to be at DTD and eat dinner. We decided on Wolfgang Puck Express since the other 80 some girls chose Earl of Sandwich.

I didn't get a chance to take pictures here, sorry. We ordered the chicken caesar salad all around. Getting on a bus for 26 hours was haunting to say the least. The salad was very large and good. The chicken was so moist that I even stole some of DD's plate (she's a slow eater). For dessert I had the creme brulee and shared. I have always seen pictures of it in little cups, but mine was huge and very good. The kids loved that they could go up and refill their drinks and so was I with the sweet and unsweet tea. We all enjoyed our salads. On the way out we stopped at Goofy's Candy Co. to make a few covered cookies and crispy treats. DS was very disappointed that the cookies are now smaller and yesterday he ate it all in one seating!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

We had a wonderful trip. The crowds were low and the weather was nice 1/2 of the time. We ate wonderfully and enjoyed all our meals and snacks. I have to agree with some of the posters who say that portion sizes are getting smaller. Don't get me wrong, there is definetely enough on the plate, but the portion is definetely smaller. Salt on a whole is definetely not being used as much and was not on any tables we sat at. The only oversalted food were the fries at The Plaza. The "quality" seemed to override the "quantity", which is really a good thing.

Last but definetely not least I noticed many items that we used to get snack credits on were priced just above the $4.00 cut-off and the D/P next to the items are gone. I guess it is time for all of us to seek out some new and exciting treats. Diane!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Well my report is finished with what may be a "Dis" first. Absolutely no replies! I hope the lurkers actually read the reviews...

Don't worry, I'll be back in October if you need some more sleeping material. Diane

 

[Liliyana]

Well my report is finished with what may be a "Dis" first. Absolutely no replies! I hope the lurkers actually read the reviews...

LOL! That *is* weird. I'm admittedly a huge lurker, and read most of the posts in this forum but rarely comment.

You had a few things I've been wanting to try myself, like the dim sum basket!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

LOL! That *is* weird. I'm admittedly a huge lurker, and read most of the posts in this forum but rarely comment.

You had a few things I've been wanting to try myself, like the dim sum basket!

The young lady who ordered the Dim Sum basket works for a well known Chinese place here in town. It claims to have the ultimate Dim Sum and she also felt that way. She stated that the Yak and Yeti version was very good and cooked to perfection. I can't comment too much as I have never had one before this time, and well she didn't share. I can tell you that it was totally empty at the end of the meal though!

 

[princessallegra]

Great reviews!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write them!!

 

[WDWangela]

Thank you for the reviews. I enjoyed reading them. We are going to try the quick dining plan in July. I hope I'm not disappointed by the available snack choices.
(I usually just lurk, but wanted to let you know that your reviews are appreciated!)

 

[mandibc11]

Can you recall which snack items were no longer listed as snacks? We will be on the deluxe plan...and I would hate to waste 2 snacks a day on WATER!

 

[ellie0311]

Thank you for your review!

 

[Jaimiebear5]

Congratulations to your daughter getting to dance down main street! How fun, did her team win a contest to get to do that? Just found your report and I loved your reviews! It sounds like you had a fun time! My DH and I are going to Le cellier on our trip in Sept. And I do not eat red meat so thank you for the salmon sand pic and review!

 

[Pitti-sing]

Another lurker saying thank you. There's been some good reviews of yak and yeti recently and I wonder if I was too tired the night I was there. The food looks really good.

Thanks again.

 

[chocolateMinnie]

Great reviews, think next year when we pay oop we may do the dessert party if it is still offered, looks amazing.

 

[pumba]

great reviews and I have not tried yak and yeti yet either....but that dim sum sounded fantastic....my favorite is always the pot stickers....

thanks again

 

[RachaelRol]

Good job!

Congrats on DD daning on Main St. You must be very proud!

Yand Y looked terrific. I keep changing my ADRs and now want Yak and Yeti!!!