The jabead Family went to Disney World! 3/23-3/30/13 COMPLETE

What a disappointment on the soup! My serving in October was the same as your previous one not this one...

Now with all the salt though maybe it was better to have a small portion?

I am not a salmon fan so I wouldn't be going for that but the soup.. oh man.. I'm sad now!
 
I'm on a cliff on this one and I think the cobbler would make me tumble over the edge. I love the idea of Artist Point but I don't like salmon and it seemed to be the best option but honestly your son's chicken looked delicious. But I think I would have been very sad to pay 10.00 for that dollop of soup.

I've been chuckling over Miss Benedict and Mr. Arnold all morning.
Can't wait to hear more.
 
Barb, just got caught up and I can't help laugh that you and your DH ended up doing most of the driving. Chase just got his license yesterday and he promises he will do some of the driving on our upcoming trip, but I'm guessing he will also be sleeping while I'm driving.

Everything you guys ate at WCC looks delicious. I must try it someday if we ever stay at WL.

I'm so sad the salad has changed at Artist Point. I really loved it last time I ate there. And hopefully the salty soup was just an error of the chef on that night. Glad you and your family loved the salmon and the cobbler.

Can't wait to see what else you've got in store for us.:)
 


During the very busy last week of March, Magic Kingdom opened at 7:00 each day for its resort guests. Yes, that's a.m., which in terms of vacation time, stands for "absolutely mad" when it's preceded by numbers such as 5 (the time I got up that morning :eek:), 6, or 7. But being the Disney-wise person that I am (and my kids would probably say a little sadistic ;)), I somehow convinced my family that we needed to be at Magic Kingdom at park opening on the first full day of our trip.


And so here is a picture taken at the Wilderness Lodge bus stop at approximately 6:40 a.m. on Sunday morning, March 24th.





Can you hear the crickets chirping? :lmao:


A couple of minutes after this picture was taken, a bus rolled up and we and one other "absolutely mad" family boarded. We were off to Magic Kingdom to "open the gates and seize the day!" (Bonus points for anyone who gets that Disney reference. :thumbsup2)

Not long after 7:00, my kids took this picture of themselves in front of the castle with the sun rising in the background. They of course immediately sent this to their sister back in Illinois, where it was just after 6:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. And they call me sadistic?!?! :laughing:




By 8:00 a.m. when the park opened to the general public, we had already seen the "Enchanted Tales with Belle" show and walked on to the Little Mermaid ride. Since we had only had coffee up to this point, we decided we could afford to take a short breakfast snack break at...




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DS chose a chocolate croissant and a chocolate milk to wash it down (sorry no pic, he ate it too fast ;)), while the rest of us shared these...




Cinnamon roll and LeFou's Brew






Check out the head on that brew! :laughing:


Anyway, the place was completely empty but it was also dark and very cold, so we decided to take our breakfast outside to eat.


Now I'm sure I'm probably the last person on these boards to taste LeFou's Brew, but on the off chance that there is someone out there that hasn't yet, here is my description of this beverage. LeFou's Brew is frozen apple juice with just a hint of toasted marshmallow and topped off with passion fruit and mango foam. The four of us drank all that we wanted from this one glass and we still ended up throwing out some. :guilty: So for us, it was just ok and being $4.49 for a cup of frozen apple juice, it's not something that we will likely be getting again.

As for our assessment of the cinnamon roll...we agreed it was a little dry and needed more icing. That one dollop in the middle just didn't do it for us. :sad2: Oh, and in case you are interested, DS had a small bite of our roll and said his chocolate croissant was better. The rest of us can not attest to this though, because he ate it all before we had a chance to ask for a taste. ;)


So in conclusion, even though Gaston's Tavern did not quite measure up to my expectations, after posting countless pictures of LeFou's Brew on the Live Thread I am very happy that I finally got to try it for myself. :thumbsup2



Next up: Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern
 
Hi Barb! I can take your place and say that I am the last person on the dining board who has not tried the brew. I don't think I'm going to rush to get in that line either. :p

So far you've convinced your family to try AP for dinner AND make park open! You are very influential! :rotfl: Great job!
 
I keep hearing that LeFou's Brew is nothing special and at the price point, you're kinda expecting something a bit special. It's too bad they didn't create something unique for this new FL eatery, instead of recycling the DL one. Ah well, it's great that you tried it and now know that it's entirely skip-able.

That cinnamon bun does look dry around the edges! Very different from the icing-soaked goodness of a MSB offering. That sucker can send you into a sugar coma first thing in the morning. :lmao:

Loved the update Barb, can't wait to read your report on LTT! :goodvibes
 


Hi Barb -

We didn't love the Le Fou's brew either. Hoping to try a cinnamon roll next trip but I guess if we do not get the chance, it won't be a big loss.

I think "open the gates & seize the day" is from Newsies, but I admit that I don't know anything else about the play. Being so close to Broadway you would think we would get to see some plays but alas, we do not!
 
You can add us to the LaFou Free Zone. DS is allergic to apple juice and I just don't like it. And I trust my DIS Friends. I figured since I also hated Butter Beer I was fine skipping it. So sad about the cinnamon roll too. I've rarely met a cinnamon roll I didn't like.

And I :love: Newsies! So glad the Broadway hit brought it back to life!
 
Great reference; I love Newsies! But, I am not at all interested in the Broadway version since I found out they changed Denton into a woman! Argh! I'll keep my Christian Bale and Bill Pullman, thank you. ;)

Just wanted to ask a quick question as well...did you take the bus because the boat does not run that early? Thanks!
 
"Open the gates and seize the day. Don't be afraid and don't delay. Nothing can break us no one can make us give our rights away. Arise and seize the day" :goodvibes Newsies is one of my absolute favorite Disney movies. I love your trip report and I've been following the live report since you started it. You're doing an awesome job :lovestruc
 
I was just changing around some ADRs for our upcoming trip and ended up with an empty lunch space on one of our MK days. Thanks to your review, I just filled it with Whispering Canyon Cafe!

I was able to grab and ADR for Be Our Guest on the night we were originally planning on eating at Artist Point. I hope we don't regret it! The cobbler looks delicious but we might just have to stop by the Territory Lounge for some fondue and cobbler so we don't miss out!
 
I am here!!! Just got all caught up and have enjoyed reading these dining review reports and I am thinking of doing one as well when I return!! :thumbsup2 Can't wait to hear more.
 
Can't wait to read about your Artist Point experience...I'm on the fence about this one for our September trip!

I hope you climb on down from the fence and give Artist Point a try. :thumbsup2



Subscribed, you've got me hooked.
Now just patiently waiting for more posts.

First reaction, whoa that's a lot of ketchup on that table.
Mojito your DD ordered looked delish.


Thanks for reading and thank you for your patience. Due to the more urgent demands of the Live Thread, my reviews here are progressing very slowly. But I will eventually get through my 30 or so dining reviews, I promise. ;)




Great start and I cannot wait for more. I love dining reviews with some trip report mixed in. Best of both worlds!

I have to say it's so fun to finally read reviews where you were able to actually taste the food!! :lmao:

Your chicken sandwich from WCC looks sooo good. I have to put that on the list.


Yes, our lunch at WCC turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. :thumbsup2





Great start!!!

We've never stayed at WL but we did make it over there on our last trip for dinner at Artist Point. We absolutely fell in love with the Territory Lounge.:goodvibes Brucie, our bartender, was one of the best we've ever had the pleasure of meeting at any WDW resort and those little Drunken Doughnuts after dinner were pure heaven!:thumbsup2


We hadn't stayed at WL since 2006 so this was a nice change for us. It is a beautiful resort and has some great dining choices, including Territory Lounge.




So I am back home from Disney myself and I have been getting my TR and DR started and getting the laundry done, catching up with work, etc. I finally get some time to catch up on TR's and Dining Reviews and this ??? A CLIFFHANGER ??? Hahaha. Can't wait to read what happens. Loving your DR so far !!

I know my DH would love Artist point, but we rarely eat at signatures because the kids are so picky.


I need to get over and read your DR, Susan. Between my DR, the Live Thread, and my busy "LIFE" Thread, I haven't been able to yet...but I will. ::yes::




I'm so sorry that the soup was so salty! I had it in November and it was delicious...hopefully (and sadly for you) it was just an off batch.

Jill in CO

I'm certainly willing to give it another shot sometime. :thumbsup2




Glad to know the salmon redeemed the meal! That's a pathetic portion for the soup.... and it's still $10?? That's too bad that it was a disappointment. :(

But that cobbler! Awesome!

I'm with your DS, I love the bread with the butter.


Yes, the new portion size for the soup makes sharing totally out of the question. ;)



Now with all the salt though maybe it was better to have a small portion?


Yay Paula...for turning a negative into a positive! :laughing:





I'm on a cliff on this one and I think the cobbler would make me tumble over the edge. I love the idea of Artist Point but I don't like salmon and it seemed to be the best option but honestly your son's chicken looked delicious. But I think I would have been very sad to pay 10.00 for that dollop of soup.

I've been chuckling over Miss Benedict and Mr. Arnold all morning.
Can't wait to hear more.


If you aren't completely sold on the idea of Artist Point, you can always hit up the Territory Lounge for a cobbler fix. :thumbsup2

And I'm glad that my weird sense of humor made you chuckle. :upsidedow



Barb, just got caught up and I can't help laugh that you and your DH ended up doing most of the driving. Chase just got his license yesterday and he promises he will do some of the driving on our upcoming trip, but I'm guessing he will also be sleeping while I'm driving.

Everything you guys ate at WCC looks delicious. I must try it someday if we ever stay at WL.

I'm so sad the salad has changed at Artist Point. I really loved it last time I ate there. And hopefully the salty soup was just an error of the chef on that night. Glad you and your family loved the salmon and the cobbler.

Can't wait to see what else you've got in store for us.:)


Welcome to the club of families with new male drivers under the age of 24! After you have paid your next car insurance bill, you might not have any money left to go to Disney World. ;) :laughing:





The salmon does look quiet good, need to put that on my bucketlist!

Hi Lori! Can't wait to see how many things you are able to cross off that list on your upcoming trip. :thumbsup2
 
So far you've convinced your family to try AP for dinner AND make park open! You are very influential! :rotfl: Great job!

Yes, very influential! :thumbsup2 Maybe I should write a book? Then again, despite my best efforts, I was still only able to get my entire family to one sit-down breakfast during our week at Disney World. So I think I'd better keep my day job. :laughing:




That cinnamon bun does look dry around the edges! Very different from the icing-soaked goodness of a MSB offering. That sucker can send you into a sugar coma first thing in the morning. :lmao:

Yes, I'm very anxious to see how the MSB cinnamon rolls are affected by the changes being made to the bakery. I hope they don't mess up a good thing. ;)




I think "open the gates & seize the day" is from Newsies, but I admit that I don't know anything else about the play. Being so close to Broadway you would think we would get to see some plays but alas, we do not!


You are quite right, Vicki! And the first to recognize the reference. Good job! :thumbsup2



And I :love: Newsies! So glad the Broadway hit brought it back to life!

Great reference; I love Newsies! But, I am not at all interested in the Broadway version since I found out they changed Denton into a woman! Argh! I'll keep my Christian Bale and Bill Pullman, thank you. ;)

Just wanted to ask a quick question as well...did you take the bus because the boat does not run that early? Thanks!

"Open the gates and seize the day. Don't be afraid and don't delay. Nothing can break us no one can make us give our rights away. Arise and seize the day" :goodvibes Newsies is one of my absolute favorite Disney movies. I love your trip report and I've been following the live report since you started it. You're doing an awesome job :lovestruc

Bonus points to all the Newsies fans!

And to Li Li regarding the boat question, yes the boat was not yet running so the bus was the only option at that time. However, even when the boats were running, we took the busses to/from MK as they seemed faster. ;)





I was just changing around some ADRs for our upcoming trip and ended up with an empty lunch space on one of our MK days. Thanks to your review, I just filled it with Whispering Canyon Cafe!

I was able to grab and ADR for Be Our Guest on the night we were originally planning on eating at Artist Point. I hope we don't regret it! The cobbler looks delicious but we might just have to stop by the Territory Lounge for some fondue and cobbler so we don't miss out!

Oh, I hope you enjoy your lunch at WCC but sad that you won't be going to Artist Point now. But a visit to Territory Lounge would be the next best thing! :thumbsup2


I am here!!! Just got all caught up and have enjoyed reading these dining review reports and I am thinking of doing one as well when I return!! :thumbsup2 Can't wait to hear more.

Glad you're here and you should definitely do a dining report! :thumbsup2:thumbsup2



Enjoying your report!! More!! More!! :goodvibes


Thanks so much! And I will!! I will!!...try to get another installment written soon. ;)
 
My last installment left off with my family finishing up their breakfast snack from Gaston's Tavern right around 8:30 a.m. Now is when our early start paid off in a big way. For the next 3 hours we rode every ride on our "to do" list without ever having to get a Fast Pass...Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Space Mountain were all pretty much walk-ons. And DH kicked our butts on Buzz Lightyear, not once but twice.


Here is his score from Round II...






When asked what the secret was to his success, his reply was, "I have no idea!" :lmao:


We actually did all of this in about two hours, so even had time to take a half-hour nap at (um...I mean see) the Hall of Presidents show. ;)

It was then time for our 11:30 lunch ADR at...



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Now of course, my family has a history with Liberty Tree. Yes, we go way back...almost to Colonial times when it first opened. ;) When the kids were young, we enjoyed the character dinner here several times. Here is a picture from what I think was our last visit to LTT's Character Dinner with Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, and Minnie, all dressed in their colonial attire.




DS and Minnie



Since that time, we have only been to Liberty Tree once and that was for lunch in March 2010. This was before my family allowed me to take pictures of our food, so sadly there is no photographic evidence from this last visit. I can tell you though that it was less than impressive. Our entrees were fine (we all got either a burger or the pot roast), but nothing really memorable. I do remember though two things about this experience. First is that the service was terrible and then more importantly...the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake was a total failure. :sad2: It was very hard and cold, like it had been sitting in a refrigerator up until moments before it was placed on our table. Consequently, there was nothing Ooey or Gooey about this dessert...I was so disappointed. And so, I felt no need to return to Liberty Tree Tavern, that is until I began hosting the Live Thread. Liberty Tree Tavern was one of the most popular live update locations and nearly all of the reporters enjoyed their food there...especially that infamous Ooey, Gooey Toffee Cake. I posted picture after picture of that delicious looking dessert, coveting each and every one, until I was finally convinced that our experience had been an anomoly. It was time for us to give Liberty Tree another try, and so...


Hear ye, hear ye, now seating the jabead family of Illinois!



Here is the menu we were presented with...













Let's start with my DS's choice...





Angus Chuck Cheeseburger topped with bacon and cheddar cheese, served with sweet potato fries - His Rating 3/5


He said this was a standard burger and the sweet potato fries were good, but not as good as the ones at Whispering Canyon.




And of course, DD and DH shared an entree... :rolleyes:




1/2 share of the New England Pot Roast... Our Tavern Keeper's Favorite - braised beef in a Cabernet wine and mushroom sauce served with mashed potatoes and garden vegetables - Their Rating 4/5



They both enjoyed this, in fact, DH enjoyed his 1/2 portion so quickly that I felt obligated to share my entree with him...




Colony Salad - Washington apples, sweet pecans and Applewood smoked cheddar, dried cranberry Craisins, and grilled chicken tossed with field greens in honey shallot vinaigrette - Our Rating 5/5 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2


Holy Moley...Colony Salad, where have you been all my (Disney World) life? :love: This salad was a delicious combination of sweet and savory.
I wouldn't change a thing about it...it is salad perfection!




Now everyone was trying to talk me out of ordering dessert...

"Too full"

"Too fattening"

"Too tired"


But my reply to my traitorous family...

"Too bad" :p


There was no way I was leaving Liberty Tree Tavern without trying the...




Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake - vanilla cake with a gooey toffee filling, vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce - Our Rating 5/5


My family took one look at this dessert and all of their previous objections were long forgotten. The battle of our four spoons was on and we quickly devoured every last morsel. Ahhh...now we finally get it!!! ::yes::



So in conclusion, Liberty Tree Tavern has now earned a place on my Disney "Must Do" list. I have a feeling that I will be dreaming about that Colony Salad and Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake tonight.

Hope you too have some sweet Disney dreams... :cloud9:


Good night everyone! :wave2:


Next up: Tea for Two at the Garden View
 
Barb, I am finally here!!

I'm so behind with everyone's TRs and DRs but am slowly catching up

Firstly, yay for Wilderness Lodge! This is our absolute fave resort :goodvibes

We have eaten at WCC for lunch once before and it was awesome and although we had a lovely evening at AP, I do remember everything being a little high on salt.

As we are staying at the Lodge in December we will probably go to both again!

LTT is on our list of potential lunch spots so it's great to see another good review. I simply HAVE to try the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake!

Looking forward to reading more of your fab reviews :thumbsup2
 
Boo to your AP experiences continuing to fail to impress your family members! I think I may be the only person in the world who thinks that portion of soup was more than enough? I split it with my husband in November and we were both more than satisfied. I have no idea how I would finish the entire bowl... let alone the previous bowl!

And oh my word... your meal at LTT was perfection!! Isn't the Colony Salad divine? I don't know why it is so exceptional but I seriously think about every time I order a salad back home :lmao:. And the OOTC is so good when it is done right. So good that it is almost wrong ;).
 

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