1200 pics, 1100 miles, 15 deluxe dining meals, 1 great time at POR *Completed 9/5*

[sarahcor]

Your trip report was one of the very first ones I read. Looking forward to following along on this one too

 

[PrncessA]

Okay, I am all caught up now.

We never rode TT before the new version so I am afraid we don't know what we were missing. Love your family ride photo though!!

I went back and forth between Tutto Italia and Via Napoli before our trip, but the promise of wood oven pizza won out for us. Tutta Italia looks so yummy, I am kinda bummed we went to Via Napoli!

We are wimps, we rode the green version of MS 3-4 times, never made it to the orange! It had been so long since our last flight on Soarin' I had completely forgotten the welcome video, as soon as Patrick Warburton started talking the kids went crazy yelling "KRONK!!! It's KRONK!!" Can you tell that they love the Emporer's New Grove. LOL

 

[teedee]

[COLOR="Blue" I followed your facebook link over and I'm loving your report! It helps with the post Disney depression! we're already talking about where we want to eat next time and Tutto Italia has moved to the top of the list! I can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.

Terri[/COLOR]

 

[KatMark]

Alan, I am sorry I got so far behind (first your pictures disappeared and then things happened here and I just didn't DIS much).

That is so weird about Raglan Road and the appetizers.

Your pictures before you left for Epcot were gorgeous.

You hit Test Track adn Mission first on your Epcot day...the two I refuse to do.

I'm with you...Soarin' is by far my favorite.

I loved your stroll through World Showcase and the pictures.

Now you've gone and done it. Another restaurant we've not tried and now has to go on our list. Everything looked absolutely wonderful (well, except DD's sandwich). By the way...we LOVE Rose & Crown.

 

[alan_renfroe]

Wonderful trip report and beautiful family.

Looking forward to more.

Thank you very much! Glad you're enjoying it and happy to have you here!

I am loving your trip report! POR is our favorite resort and I am looking forward to our Christmas trip there! Wonderful pictures and input, can't wait for updates.

Thanks very much! I would LOVE to go to POR for Christmas. Hope you all have a wonderful trip!

Oh gosh, everything at Tutto Italia looks absolutely mouthwatering. I always worry about going to Italian restaurants, because my grandmother was off the boat Italian, and of course made the best, traditional meals. SO I have been spoiled. However, that antipasto plate looks magnificent, and since you gave everything such rave reviews I may have to put this on our list of restaurants to try!!

I would go to Tutto Italia for the antipasto misto platter alone! It was delish!

You're back!! I am not on the DIS very much lately but just happened to come across a post of yours and saw a new TR. How nice to see an old friend! Your family looks as happy & beautiful as ever.

Can't wait to follow along and hear more about your adventures. Especially those of the eating variety. Deluxe dining!!!!

Christine! How are you my friend? So glad to see you here! You know me too well...lots of food pics to come!

The pasta that you ordered looked similar to the pasta that John ordered at Via Napoli and he said that it was delicious. The panini wasn't pressed? That's unusual. I thought that all panini sandwiches were. I haven't met a cheesecake that I didn't like and the picture of the one that your wife ordered is making my mouth water.

Yeah, I've never heard of such. The "panini" wasn't what we were expecting and it must've been the worst thing on the menu, but gosh everything else sure made up for it!

"Haven't met a cheesecack that I didn't like" Amen to that!

Oh that Torta di Ricotta Cheesecake does look good ! Wish I could have one right now

Me too! I'm hungry just thinking about it!

Hi Alan! Sorry I'm late to your TR!

Of course the majority of my comments are about the food! I had to look back at your travel dates for your Kona Café meal. When I was there earlier in May they had just changed the menu and changed up the steak and got rid of the teriyaki version of the steak and made it a molasses bacon something or another AND got rid of the sticky rice. Boo! But looking at your meal it looks like my outrage may have changed that back??

I love Sum of all Thrills. I want as many loops and corkscrews that they can put in there.

Ok, one more food comment, that Ger's bread pudding at RR is ahhhh-mazing. Truly.

Hi Brenda! Glad you are here! I love reading your trip reports and feel like I know you!

Ugh, the version you described of the lunch steak at Kona doesn't sound good at all. Apparently they have gone back to the teriyaki style and it was good. The pasta salad was pretty terrible, but the rice and steak were both good. I'll bet you weren't the only one outraged! And I'll bet they heard about too!

Heck yeah, the Sum of all Thrills is great! Especially if you're a thrill junkie and want all the loops and barrel rolls you can possibly fit into your design!

I'm glad you agree with me on that Ger's Bread & Butter Pudding at Raglan Road. Wish I had it right now! Sooooooo good!

Finally getting caught up! That is crazy what went on at RR! I've never heard such a thing. At least you had the bread pudding to make up for it. That stuff should be illegal... It's definitely my favorite dessert on property!

We've never tried Tutto Italia. DH isn't a huge italian cuisine type person, so we haven't really had the desire to go, but that cheesecake sounds phenomenal! Eventually we'll make it there!

Can't wait to hear more!

I thought that was just nuts! I wondered how many other people on the Deluxe Dining plan ran into that same issue and if they just picked one from the very limited "it's all about me" appetizer list. It was just weird. Thank goodness that wasn't a pattern for the rest of the trip. It worried me that we might run into more of that sort of thing at other places, but we didn't.

Yep, I would have to agree with you. RR's bread budding is my favorite dessert on property.

I'm just so-so on Italian food and we originally had scheduled Via Napoli because the kids like pizza. (I like it ok, but definitely not one of my favorites.) We switched the Tutto specifically for that antipasto misto platter! Totally worth it! And the desserts were great also.

 

[alan_renfroe]

Your trip report was one of the very first ones I read. Looking forward to following along on this one too

Awwww thanks very much! Glad to have you along for the ride!

Okay, I am all caught up now.

We never rode TT before the new version so I am afraid we don't know what we were missing. Love your family ride photo though!!

I went back and forth between Tutto Italia and Via Napoli before our trip, but the promise of wood oven pizza won out for us. Tutta Italia looks so yummy, I am kinda bummed we went to Via Napoli!

We are wimps, we rode the green version of MS 3-4 times, never made it to the orange! It had been so long since our last flight on Soarin' I had completely forgotten the welcome video, as soon as Patrick Warburton started talking the kids went crazy yelling "KRONK!!! It's KRONK!!" Can you tell that they love the Emporer's New Grove. LOL

The previous version of TT had the car go through many of the tests they put cars through....heat....cold....anti-lock breaks....that sort of thing. But the ride itself was practically identical. That was the first of our ride photos and it was pretty awkward! Lol!

I still want to do Via Napoli at some point, but I must say I didn't regret going back to Tutto Italia. It was a great lunch!

The orange version of MS is awesome! As you're about to see in the next chapter, however, DD and I didn't think doing the orange version right after lunch was a good idea, so we did the green version.

Hahahaha! I love it! KRONK! First time I saw it, I was like "it's Putty! David Putty from Seinfeld!" He's such a funny dude. And I absolutely think it's hilarious when he gives the kid the thumbs up and says, "nice work pal!"

[COLOR="Blue" I followed your facebook link over and I'm loving your report! It helps with the post Disney depression! we're already talking about where we want to eat next time and Tutto Italia has moved to the top of the list! I can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.

Terri[/COLOR][/B][/QUOTE]

Hi Terri! Glad you made it over to my trip report! A new post is coming right up.

[quote="KatMark, post: 51684931"]Alan, I am sorry I got so far behind (first your pictures disappeared and then things happened here and I just didn't DIS much).

That is so weird about Raglan Road and the appetizers.

Your pictures before you left for Epcot were gorgeous.

You hit Test Track adn Mission first on your Epcot day...the two I refuse to do.

I'm with you...Soarin' is by far my favorite.

I loved your stroll through World Showcase and the pictures.

Now you've gone and done it. Another restaurant we've not tried and now has to go on our list. Everything looked absolutely wonderful (well, except DD's sandwich). By the way...we LOVE Rose & Crown.

Hi Kathy! Soarin' is my fav at Epcot for sure. DW, DD, and DS would all choose Test Track, but I'm still a big fan of Soarin' and I'm really excited to see what it will be like once it updates.

Hahahaha! You can blame me for that one, but Tutto Italia has been wonderful both times we've been there. And the service was great also. Now we've got to do Rose & Crown!

 

[alan_renfroe]

It was about 1:45pm on Saturday, May 31 when we finished our awesome lunch at Tutto Italia. We had a 2:05pm FP+ for Mission Space, so we headed on around the World Showcase in the counterclockwise direction, passing through Germany. We were hoping to ride Maelstrom in Norway but the standby line posted was 40 minutes and it looked like it might be longer than that.

Meanwhile, DW had always heard a lot about the school bread in Norway so she decided to use a snack credit to get it.



While DW was in line for the school bread, DS, DD and I waited outside and it was very hot. I kept watching the Maelstrom line, but it didn't appear to even be moving...so I finally gave up on it.

As for the school bread, (and I realize I'm about to get things thrown at me,) it was actually disappointing. The taste was good but the bread itself tasted quite stale. DW said she didn't like it so I decided to try it and I sort of agreed with her. It wasn't terrible or anything, but it tasted like it was a day or two old. Oh well....we gave it a try! (And following that HUGE meal at Tutto Italia, I'm not sure we were in the mood to eat much of anything.)

As I stated, it was very hot. So as we were going through the Mexico pavilion, we decided to go inside the pyramid to cool off. We've never actually ridden the Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros. There was no wait at all so we hopped on just for a nice cool ride in the A/C. The kids were bored with it but I actually liked it! I loved watching the diners and onlookers at San Angel Inn and it smelled great. And I liked the fiesta towards the end of the ride with the "fireworks". I sort of expected it to be lame, so I guess it was much better than my expectations. So I guess it was weird: I liked Gran Fiesta Tour but didn't really care for the school bread in Norway. Different strokes I guess!

Anyway, it was now time for our FP+ at Mission Space. We had all ridden the orange version earlier, but after that HUGE lunch DD and I decided to just go on the green version. DW and DS went back on the orange version and loved it once again.





After that we walked over towards the Universe of Energy. We had only done this attraction once before and all I really remembered about it was that it had Ellen, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and a moving theatre through a land of dinosaurs. The CM out front said the next attraction was about to start so we went on inside. I had forgotten how LONG this attraction takes. There's the pre-ride movie with the dream sequence, then you enter into the moving theatre and that portion takes 37 more minutes. All total, this attraction runs about 45-47 minutes and it is really really dated. I really like the concept of the moving theatre, but I thought I remembered enjoying this attraction more the first time.

Next we had our third FP+ of the day for Spaceship Earth at 3:25pm.





Classic attraction! I love this ride! And at the end we all got sooo tickled at our "futures" we had selected!





All in all it was a great day at Epcot!



We had ridden Test Track, Mission Space twice, Sum of all Thrills twice, Finding Nemo, Turtle Talk with Crush, Soarin', Gran Fiesta, Universe of Energy, and Spaceship Earth. The only attractions we wanted to do but didn't get to were Living with the Land (no biggie) and Maelstrom (hated we didn't get to do that one, but that line in that hot sun was not happening.)



It was about 4pm when we made it back to POR. DW and I walked over to Ol' Man Island and had a soak in the hot tub. I bought us both Long Island Iced Teas from Muddy Rivers pool bar and we drank them at the hot tub. A nice way to relax on a warm afternoon!

Soon it was time to get ready for dinner. Our reservations were for 'Ohana at 6:45pm.

Pre-dinner selfie!





We arrived at the Polynesian about 6:10pm and checked in at 'Ohana around 6:15pm.









Coming up next: Dinner at 'Ohana!

 

[anniebabymu]

We were at Epcot from about 12:00-3:00 the day you guys were there... and I agree, it was HOT! Looks like you guys had a fun day there and your lunch looked yummy! Can't wait to hear about 'Ohana! We LOVED our meal there this past trip!

 

[KatMark]

Great update, Alan.

I'm with you (as is Mark); we were not fans of the school bread in Norway either. The boat ride in Mexico is a good place to get out of the hot sun for a bit and who doesn't love Donald?

I can't do Orange or Green. Once on that attraction and that was it for me.

I'm one of the few who actually enjoys Universe of Energy. It could use an update (there are several attractions at DW that could), but I love the pre-show with Stupid Judy. I also happen to love Ellen DeGeneres.

No Epcot day is complete without a ride on Spaceship Earth.

Great photopass pictures.

You guys all clean up so nice. I'm anxious to hear about your experience at Ohana. We went last year for the first time ever. You didn't see my TR, I don't think, to see what we thought of it.

 

[PrncessA]

I can't eat coconut, so no school bread for me.

We spent a lot of time in the WS on our trip and we always felt like it was hotter walking around the countries than any other place in any park (including AK this trip).

We loved the Gran Fiesta ride as well. Air conditioning + Donald Duck= happy family in our book!

We never made it to the Universe of Energy, kinda glad now though. I had no idea it was that long! That is a time commitment.

Can't wait to hear about 'Ohana.

 

[alan_renfroe]

We were at Epcot from about 12:00-3:00 the day you guys were there... and I agree, it was HOT! Looks like you guys had a fun day there and your lunch looked yummy! Can't wait to hear about 'Ohana! We LOVED our meal there this past trip!

Did it ever rain that afternoon? I can't remember. If it did it was after we left the park because it never rained on us that day.

I really sort of consider this day like our first real day. The day before was checking in, unpacking, a quick few hours at Animal Kingdom, then DTD. But this was our first real day! Ohana review coming right up!

Great update, Alan.

I'm with you (as is Mark); we were not fans of the school bread in Norway either. The boat ride in Mexico is a good place to get out of the hot sun for a bit and who doesn't love Donald?

I can't do Orange or Green. Once on that attraction and that was it for me.

I'm one of the few who actually enjoys Universe of Energy. It could use an update (there are several attractions at DW that could), but I love the pre-show with Stupid Judy. I also happen to love Ellen DeGeneres.

No Epcot day is complete without a ride on Spaceship Earth.

Great photopass pictures.

You guys all clean up so nice. I'm anxious to hear about your experience at Ohana. We went last year for the first time ever. You didn't see my TR, I don't think, to see what we thought of it.

Thanks Kathy! Exactly...you've gotta love Donald and all of his antics! And there's just something about Disney dark boat rides that I love. I thought the part where you went by the restaurant was really cool, and now I kind of want to eat at San Angel Inn just to sit and watch the boats go by!

The only thing that remotely bothers me about Mission Space is the cramped space. I get a little claustrophobic when they first put you in, but then I'm fine after that.

Lol! I LOVE stupid Judy! We have a very good friend that looks a LOT like Jamie Lee Curtis, so we were telling her that she was stupid Judy!

Yep, still love Spaceship Earth. And unlike a lot of other attractions, for some reason this one never ages to me. I love it the way it is!

I tell ya, we underutilized the PhotoPass/MemoryMaker. DS was resistant most of the time, but we insisted we get at least a couple of all of the classic photos. We had totally forgotten to do that at Animal Kingdom the day before, but we made up for it later in the trip.

Ohana review is next!

I can't eat coconut, so no school bread for me.

We spent a lot of time in the WS on our trip and we always felt like it was hotter walking around the countries than any other place in any park (including AK this trip).

We loved the Gran Fiesta ride as well. Air conditioning + Donald Duck= happy family in our book!

We never made it to the Universe of Energy, kinda glad now though. I had no idea it was that long! That is a time commitment.

Can't wait to hear about 'Ohana.

Hi Sara! I love coconut but this one just missed the mark for me a bit. I think it would've been fine if it didn't taste so stale.
Gosh I know what you mean about it feeling hot in the World Showcase. Seems like it is always hot there when we go. DW and I would like to go on an adults only trip during Food & Wine sometime so we can really get maximum enjoyment out of WS.

DS and DD were bored with Gran Fiesta (what can I say, they're teenagers!,) but I was very pleasantly surprised! I'd have to say I liked it more than I thought I would. Nice and cool!

Ohana review is next.

 

[maryj11]

I think they really do need to update Universe of Energy. I mean I like the ride and my favorite part is the dinosaurs but it wouldn't hurt to make a few changes to shorten the ride because it does take a long time. But if you are hot and tired it would be a good way to take a break a guess

 

[alan_renfroe]

It was about 6:20pm on Saturday, May 31 when we checked in at 'Ohana for our 6:45pm reservation. We were given a pager and found a few seats in the hallway in front of the restaurant.

As we were sitting there, a couple of really obnoxious ladies (apparently debutants from Texas) and their kids came and sat in the floor right in front of us with their 'to go' sushi orders and Chardonneys from Kona Cafe. I mean literally right in the floor....in front of us....and spread out their dinner. And dined. And talked...loudly. They were guests at the Poly...so why in the world would you eat expensive take out sushi and wine in the floor in front of people who were waiting to be seated at 'Ohana? Don't get me wrong....I wasn't upset about it or anything...in fact I rather enjoyed their debutant conversation and found it a bit amusing! And it helped pass the time as we waited.

But as we waited, I couldn't help but think about all the negative reviews I've had been reading about 'Ohana as of late. Most people seemed to give 'Ohana either stellar reviews or poor ones. We had breakfast here in 2008 and dinner in 2009 and loved it both times. Was I going to be disappointed this time? The wait time seemed to drag out, so we took a few photos (as seen in the previous chapter.) This was the first meal where we didn't get seated almost immediately. 6:45pm came and went. Then 6:50. I was getting nervous that I was going to be disappointed. (I must admit: patience is not my strong suit.)

Then, at 6:52 our buzzer went off and we were seated. Our server was Lukus and he was a go-getter. They were very busy, as they always are, but Lukus was up to the task. He immediately took our drink orders and brought out friendship bread.

Another 'must-do' for us on this trip was to try a Lapu-Lapu, so DW ordered one. (I didn't since I was driving.) She LOVED it! I had a sip and it was delightful!





This bad boy had some kick to it! DW knocked it out!



Next came the salad and something new they were 'testing'....lettuce wraps:





The salad was as good as I remembered, but the lettuce wraps were absolutely awesome! The seasoning was delicious and I love edamame. I ended up eating quite a bit of this before I realized that I didn't need to fill up too soon.

Next came the Pork Fried Dumplings:



Oh my GOSH I love these things! DS and I tackled these with great enthusiasm. I liked dipping mine into the peanut sauce. SO good! But again, I was trying to pace myself so I stopped after 3 or 4.

Next was the sticky wings, lo mein egg noodles, and stir-fried veggies:



I knew I would be done for if I ate the noodles, so I passed. DD practically made a meal out of the sticky wings. I had one and they were good, but I still wanted to have an appetite for the skewers which were coming right out.

First came the Sirloin skewer. It hit my plate and it was gone before I could even get a picture!

Next came the pork and it was delicious:



We had read that they no longer served chicken skewers and this was true. However, I really didn't miss them. I'm more of a beef and seafood kind of guy and I was completely happy with the meats we were offered.

Finally, the shrimp:





SO good! I had three the first go-round, then four the next time around.

Lukus asked us if we were happy with everything and we were. He asked if we were ready for dessert and told him yes.

We were all really having a great time! We talked, laughed, and enjoyed. This was a MUCH better experience than the night before at Raglan Road! We even enjoyed the lady providing the musical entertainment.



Then Lukus brings us the 'Ohana Bread Pudding. He places it on the table and pours the caramel sauce over the top... a true thing of beauty!









Oh my God! Fantastic! It wasn't quite as good as my beloved Ger's Bread and Butter Pudding at Raglan Road, but let me tell you...it was darn close! And the ice cream and caramel were just crazy good!

Here is one happy girl!





I can definitely see why the reviews are mixed for 'Ohana. On the one hand, it is crowded and the server you get can make or break the experience. But on this night we hit the proverbial jackpot. Great service, great food, awesome experience! Despite the fact that we waited for 32 minutes (but only 7 minutes past our reservation,) 'Ohana came through with flying colours! My grade = A

Next up: Saturday night at Port Orleans Riverside!

 

[Venomhatch]

Very nice pics my friend love Lapu Lapus!!!!

 

[KatMark]

I can't believe the people who sat down and had a picnic in front of you.

I'm so glad that you had a great meal at Ohana. You all look like you are having a great time and you definitely seemed to like the food.

Unfortunately, we had the opposite experience and won't go back. Our server was horrible, the steak was burnt and the pork dry; we didn't like the salad or noodles. I loved the peel and eat shrimp and the pot stickers and Mark loved the pot stickers and the pudding.

It just shows everyone has a different experience.

 

[Venomhatch]

I can't believe the people who sat down and had a picnic in front of you.

I'm so glad that you had a great meal at Ohana. You all look like you are having a great time and you definitely seemed to like the food.

Unfortunately, we had the opposite experience and won't go back. Our server was horrible, the steak was burnt and the pork dry; we didn't like the salad or noodles. I loved the peel and eat shrimp and the pot stickers and Mark loved the pot stickers and the pudding.

It just shows everyone has a different experience.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I love breakfast at Ohana better than lunch or dinner. Did they offer to do anything to better your experience?

 

[MidnightParade]

I love coconut and am interested to try to the school bread, but I agree sometimes you just might get a bad batch, which is kinda disappointing!

Yay Ohanas! We have a ADR in October and this just got me all the more excited/hungry for it!

That is hilarious and annoying about the debutants, and I mean they are debutants, sitting on a floor eating sushi.....something wrong with that picture!

 

[alan_renfroe]

I think they really do need to update Universe of Energy. I mean I like the ride and my favorite part is the dinosaurs but it wouldn't hurt to make a few changes to shorten the ride because it does take a long time. But if you are hot and tired it would be a good way to take a break a guess

I agree 100%. When we experienced this attraction in 2009, we all liked it very much. But, of course, then our kids were 12 and 9. Now they are 17 and 14. Even the carpeting and seating was worn a bit. It wouldn't take much to modify this attraction into a great thing. They really need some updated footage of Ellen and all the cast, but I still enjoyed the moving theatre...and the dinosaurs! (well, except for the 2-yr-old behind us screaming his head off!)

Very nice pics my friend love Lapu Lapus!!!!

Thanks very much! Wow, those bad boys are great! DW and I are dreaming of a couples only trip at some point...and a "drinking our way around the monorail" evening. The Lapu Lapu would be a MUST!

I can't believe the people who sat down and had a picnic in front of you.

I'm so glad that you had a great meal at Ohana. You all look like you are having a great time and you definitely seemed to like the food.

Unfortunately, we had the opposite experience and won't go back. Our server was horrible, the steak was burnt and the pork dry; we didn't like the salad or noodles. I loved the peel and eat shrimp and the pot stickers and Mark loved the pot stickers and the pudding.

It just shows everyone has a different experience.

I know right! Who does that?

Anyway, I was very nervous that we were going to have a bad Ohana experience, but our server Lukus made it a good experience. We made sure to tip him very well, because he was absolutely slammed...but moved with great haste. I'll bet that guy was exhausted by the end of his shift. They really need more servers in that place!

 

[alan_renfroe]

I love coconut and am interested to try to the school bread, but I agree sometimes you just might get a bad batch, which is kinda disappointing!

Yay Ohanas! We have a ADR in October and this just got me all the more excited/hungry for it!

That is hilarious and annoying about the debutants, and I mean they are debutants, sitting on a floor eating sushi.....something wrong with that picture!

hahahaha! It was just bizarre! I mean, why not just eat at the sushi bar? Or at a table at Kona? Why in the world would you order food 'to go' and then sit and eat it in front of folks waiting to be seated at 'Ohana? We were all smirking at them and their antics! An older couple and their son came up and sat on the other side of us...and they acted as if their space had been invaded by them! I don't know why, but I just found it amusing!

 

[mblc14]

I am so late to the party! Wanted to check in and say I can't wait to read all about this trip!! Now to actually go back and read!!