48 credits and still ordering more food?! w/pics

[mpmluvstigger]

Great reviews!!! Im hopping on board

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

Ohh... Love your review! I can totally relate to the relatives throwing off all the careful planning us DISers do!!!

I'm looking forward to more!

 

[emmababy]

sub

 

[Angelrose]

Just love your pictures and reviews. I got the pretzel rods too at DTD. I was the only one there and it did take a while to do it. I got them dipped in white chocolate, springled with multi colored sprinkles and drizzled with carmel. OMG how good were they? I brought two of them home with me. Sadly they are long gone. Think I am going to have to make them myself.

 

[phabric]

Just love your pictures and reviews. I got the pretzel rods too at DTD. I was the only one there and it did take a while to do it. I got them dipped in white chocolate, springled with multi colored sprinkles and drizzled with carmel. OMG how good were they? I brought two of them home with me. Sadly they are long gone. Think I am going to have to make them myself.

How did they travel home. Did they get soft with the chocolate on them. I was thinking of getting them for the people at home as a treat.

 

[SmallWorld71]

We actually did WPE, Goofy's Candy Co. and Pizzafari on our last trip and had good luck at all of them. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Angelrose]

Well, my DH broke them in half and put them in a zip lock. After I killed him with words, they actually came home very well. Now I want more. Guess I'll just have to go back to get them.

 

[abminer]

How did they travel home. Did they get soft with the chocolate on them. I was thinking of getting them for the people at home as a treat.

We didn't even put them in a ziploc-just put the box in my carry on. The chocolate is molten when they dip the pretzels, but they harden up right away and I think the chocolate kinda seals the pretzels from getting stale.

I also did one with white chocolate and rainbow sprinkles and it was my fave.

 

[abminer]

Kona Cafe was not on my original list of places I wanted to make ADRs for, but the pics on the food porn thread, the great reviews, and the fact that I didn't have anywhere remotely elegant led me to re-shuffle.

I promised DDad that we were on our way to someplace nice as we left the AK and headed back for a quick rest and wash up at WL before heading to the Poly. We took the boat to the MK then hopped on the monorail and were treated to seeing wishes from the boat-very cool.

We had 6:25 ADRs and this was the first of many times we would be late (through no fault of my own, mind you), but not by much. We went up to check in at Kona and the entire lobby area was a mob scene. The hostesses seemed mobbed and annoyed when I gave them our name. We got a pager and went off to look around.

This was our first TS meal and DDad was already annoyed. "Why are we waiting, I thought we had reservations?" he said. Then he asked if this was really the nicer of the TS options here so we went and peered into O'hana and then he agreed. We looked around the shop and our pager went off after 10 minutes.

We made our way to our table through the crowds. We were at a round table to the left of the kitchen area-in the middle-not close to the windows . It kinda felt like being in the middle of chaos.

Our server (yes, he was Polynesian) came out quickly and introduced himself. He wasn't a bad waiter, but he wasn't very friendly. I told him we planned to use 3 credits and he told us that wasn't allowed! But then he said he'd let it slide this time. Ok kids, that no sharing rule is total BS and I know it and I think he could tell so. DDad was like "it doesn't matter, we will need more food than that anyway." They would soon learn just how much food a TS credit on the old DDP got you.

Our server left and came back with water and to take drink orders. I got the Orange/Passion Fruit smoothie. I told DSis and DMom they could order smoothies too, but they went for sodas and DDad got a glass of red wine.

Well that smoothie was great!:

I guess it has frozen yogurt in it because it's super creamy. DSis tried it and loved it. It was a "told ya so" moment.

Our server came back and we ordered appies and main entrees. To our server's credit he never rushed us at all. We chose to order this way. The appies and bread came out at the same time (I wish the bread had come out first as we were really hungry by then).

Here's the bread:

OMG the macadamia nut sweet butter was, IMHO, the best appetizer! The bread is soft, but very plain. It’s just a nice platform for that butter. My sweet tooth loved this, so did DSis's.

We also got-
Kona salad:
This was DSis's choice as there wasn't another veggie option. She ate most of it and we tried it. It was good, but nothing too special. I am always a sucker for anything with blue cheese, which she hates so I ate it up.

Duck pot stickers:

This was DDad's choice. They were tasty, but the other appetizers were both better. I did’nt try the pickled seaweed, but DDad did and said it was interesting. DMom and I weren't that into it. One of them (you get 4) never got eaten.

Sticky Wings:
Ok, my pic turned out really dark, sorry. There are soooo many pics of this dish on these boards if you wanna look it up. This was my choice and the best appetizer. They give you about 8 wings. I think there’s coffee in the glaze and they're juicy too. A person could make a meal out of this alone.

Entree time!

DDad got the prime rib (rare) served with mashed potatoes and broccoli:

This was the first of many piles of mashed potatoes we were served at WDW. I hate mashed potatoes. You may be catching on, but with the exception of fries now and again I'm no potato lover (I think I’m the only American who feels this way). Anyway I tried this and thought it was quite good. The meat was very tender and cooked the way he requested. It wasn’t very Polynesian, but good and a big portion.

We knew that all the meat eaters would be sampling each other's dishes. My fam always does. So DMom asked if I thought she should go with the chicken and I thought it sounded just ok and she said her she also had her eye on the beef teriyaki so that won. Here it is (also with broccoli and mashed potatoes):

This was good, but the least interesting of the 3 meat entrees. My opinion could also have to do with DMom liking her meat well done and I'm more a medium rare person. The flavor is nice. I wish it was fresh pineapple, however. I should have let her go with the chicken.

I was waivering between the shrimp/scallops and the pork. DMom was into the pork so that's how I went. Here's the Pomegranate Barbecued Pork Chop (with fingerling potatoes and bacon braised Swiss chard):

This was really excellent, an A dish. DMom and DDad agreed. The fruity glaze was a great complement to the pork and the swiss chard and fried onions on top were great compliments. I, of course, ignored those potatoes. This was also an enormous portion. After
bread, 3 appetizers and bites of each other's dishes I only had about half. Ya know that feeling when you’re so full it almost hurts, but you keep eating because it tastes so good? Yep that's how I was feeling.

Then there was DSis (yes we ordered a 4th entree OOP) Ok, before we left I printed menus for everywhere for her and offered to call ahead to ask for veggie meals. She said she’d be fine. Well I had seen a pic on the boards of the pan-asian noodle dish modified with tofu and it said right on the meun-“can be made vegetarian upon request.” She was hyped as this kind of dish is right up her alley. Well, it didn't quite live up to it's potential:

There was no tofu, they simply removed the meat and I think replaced it with extra snap peas. Even if it had half this amount it would have been overwhelming-this was a bowl of sugar snap peas with a few other veggies and a few noodles thrown in. Sadly, like me, DSis hates sugar snap peas I'm sure she thought there’d be a few and she would eat around them. This is what she did, but it didn't leave much behind. She said the flavor was really good, but it didn't satisfy.

Our server came back with dessert menus next and I asked DSis if she’d like to go look at the dessert samples on the kitchen display with me (I love when restaurants do this). Her eyes lit up as she was still hungry. She had already said she wanted ice cream so the adorable Kona Kone was a big draw. I knew I wanted the chocolate macadamia nut tart and with DDad liking creme brulee and DMom loving fruity stuff we chose the banana creme brulee. We ordered and when they came out it was visually impressive.

We put the brulee between DMom and Ddad:

This was a beautiful presentation. We all took a bite. It was a little lighter than the custard in most brulees. The custard also has a slight banana flavor and you can taste the caramel, but I thought it also kinda tasted like coffee! Not bad. DMom happily ate the banana with its caramelized crust and the crème didn't get finished.

I grabbed that macadamia pie when it came out!

I think this was the best dessert. So rich and chewy. It’s basically pecan pie, but with macadamia nuts and a chocolate crust. Very good. DDad isn't a big dessert guy so he didn't even taste it. The gals did, but seemed happier with the other selections. I was so full I was almost sick by this point, but ate one piece anyway. Yum.

DSis's bummer of an entrée was happily eclipsed by the Kona Kone:

It’s just ice cream, not home made. It tasted like Edy’s to me. There's a scoop of chocolate down in the waffle cone and one of vanilla on top. This dessert is more for looks than taste, but DSis ate the whole thing.

Overall- Kona's food is quite good, but not quite worth the hype. We didn't really like the atmosphere. It’s right off the monorail lobby and all open so it was very noisy. The service wasn't bad, it’s just I expect more from Disney. I also, flame away, don't really like the Poly. The first time we went to WDW (OMG I think that was in 1986!) DMom wanted to stay there, but they had no availability so we stayed at the CR. DDad noted
that he didn't like the look of the resort and found it disappointing. I have never stayed there, but have visited before and I agree. It just looks dated to me. One thing we did learn here was about Disney TS portions. I think this was when DDad finally got why I wanted us to share. 4 appies and 4 desserts would have been insane. Ordering an extra entree is a good strategy though. The servers everywhere we did this were always nice and charged us for the cheapest one.
I'd say this was a B++ meal. It lost out on the ambiance, service and, the veggie option. Let’s give it a B++.

Value $95.77 for 2 TS credits (that was the receipt for me and DSis) + 1 TS + wine and an additional entrée = approximately $170

Next - day 3 (more RF, Sunshine Seasons and Biergarten)

 

[emmababy]

great so far!

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Kona Cafe was not on my original list of places I wanted to make ADRs for, but the pics on the food porn thread, the great reviews, and the fact that I didn't have anywhere remotely elegant led me to re-shuffle.

I promised DDad that we were on our way to someplace nice as we left the AK and headed back for a quick rest and wash up at WL before heading to the Poly. We took the boat to the MK then hopped on the monorail and were treated to seeing wishes from the boat-very cool.

We had 6:25 ADRs and this was the first of many times we would be late (through no fault of my own, mind you), but not by much. We went up to check in at Kona and the entire lobby area was a mob scene. The hostesses seemed mobbed and annoyed when I gave them our name. We got a pager and went off to look around.

This was our first TS meal and DDad was already annoyed. "Why are we waiting, I thought we had reservations?" he said. Then he asked if this was really the nicer of the TS options here so we went and peered into O'hana and then he agreed. We looked around the shop and our pager went off after 10 minutes.

We made our way to our table through the crowds. We were at a round table to the left of the kitchen area-in the middle-not close to the windows . It kinda felt like being in the middle of chaos.

Our server (yes, he was Polynesian) came out quickly and introduced himself. He wasn't a bad waiter, but he wasn't very friendly. I told him we planned to use 3 credits and he told us that wasn't allowed! But then he said he'd let it slide this time. Ok kids, that no sharing rule is total BS and I know it and I think he could tell so. DDad was like "it doesn't matter, we will need more food than that anyway." They would soon learn just how much food a TS credit on the old DDP got you.

Our server left and came back with water and to take drink orders. I got the Orange/Passion Fruit smoothie. I told DSis and DMom they could order smoothies too, but they went for sodas and DDad got a glass of red wine.

Well that smoothie was great!:

I guess it has frozen yogurt in it because it's super creamy. DSis tried it and loved it. It was a "told ya so" moment.

Our server came back and we ordered appies and main entrees. To our server's credit he never rushed us at all. We chose to order this way. The appies and bread came out at the same time (I wish the bread had come out first as we were really hungry by then).

Here's the bread:

OMG the macadamia nut sweet butter was, IMHO, the best appetizer! The bread is soft, but very plain. It’s just a nice platform for that butter. My sweet tooth loved this, so did DSis's.

We also got-
Kona salad:
This was DSis's choice as there wasn't another veggie option. She ate most of it and we tried it. It was good, but nothing too special. I am always a sucker for anything with blue cheese, which she hates so I ate it up.

Duck pot stickers:

This was DDad's choice. They were tasty, but the other appetizers were both better. I did’nt try the pickled seaweed, but DDad did and said it was interesting. DMom and I weren't that into it. One of them (you get 4) never got eaten.

Sticky Wings:
Ok, my pic turned out really dark, sorry. There are soooo many pics of this dish on these boards if you wanna look it up. This was my choice and the best appetizer. They give you about 8 wings. I think there’s coffee in the glaze and they're juicy too. A person could make a meal out of this alone.

Entree time!

DDad got the prime rib (rare) served with mashed potatoes and broccoli:

This was the first of many piles of mashed potatoes we were served at WDW. I hate mashed potatoes. You may be catching on, but with the exception of fries now and again I'm no potato lover (I think I’m the only American who feels this way). Anyway I tried this and thought it was quite good. The meat was very tender and cooked the way he requested. It wasn’t very Polynesian, but good and a big portion.

We knew that all the meat eaters would be sampling each other's dishes. My fam always does. So DMom asked if I thought she should go with the chicken and I thought it sounded just ok and she said her she also had her eye on the beef teriyaki so that won. Here it is (also with broccoli and mashed potatoes):

This was good, but the least interesting of the 3 meat entrees. My opinion could also have to do with DMom liking her meat well done and I'm more a medium rare person. The flavor is nice. I wish it was fresh pineapple, however. I should have let her go with the chicken.

I was waivering between the shrimp/scallops and the pork. DMom was into the pork so that's how I went. Here's the Pomegranate Barbecued Pork Chop (with fingerling potatoes and bacon braised Swiss chard):

This was really excellent, an A dish. DMom and DDad agreed. The fruity glaze was a great complement to the pork and the swiss chard and fried onions on top were great compliments. I, of course, ignored those potatoes. This was also an enormous portion. After
bread, 3 appetizers and bites of each other's dishes I only had about half. Ya know that feeling when you’re so full it almost hurts, but you keep eating because it tastes so good? Yep that's how I was feeling.

Then there was DSis (yes we ordered a 4th entree OOP) Ok, before we left I printed menus for everywhere for her and offered to call ahead to ask for veggie meals. She said she’d be fine. Well I had seen a pic on the boards of the pan-asian noodle dish modified with tofu and it said right on the meun-“can be made vegetarian upon request.” She was hyped as this kind of dish is right up her alley. Well, it didn't quite live up to it's potential:

There was no tofu, they simply removed the meat and I think replaced it with extra snap peas. Even if it had half this amount it would have been overwhelming-this was a bowl of sugar snap peas with a few other veggies and a few noodles thrown in. Sadly, like me, DSis hates sugar snap peas I'm sure she thought there’d be a few and she would eat around them. This is what she did, but it didn't leave much behind. She said the flavor was really good, but it didn't satisfy.

Our server came back with dessert menus next and I asked DSis if she’d like to go look at the dessert samples on the kitchen display with me (I love when restaurants do this). Her eyes lit up as she was still hungry. She had already said she wanted ice cream so the adorable Kona Kone was a big draw. I knew I wanted the chocolate macadamia nut tart and with DDad liking creme brulee and DMom loving fruity stuff we chose the banana creme brulee. We ordered and when they came out it was visually impressive.

We put the brulee between DMom and Ddad:

This was a beautiful presentation. We all took a bite. It was a little lighter than the custard in most brulees. The custard also has a slight banana flavor and you can taste the caramel, but I thought it also kinda tasted like coffee! Not bad. DMom happily ate the banana with its caramelized crust and the crème didn't get finished.

I grabbed that macadamia pie when it came out!

I think this was the best dessert. So rich and chewy. It’s basically pecan pie, but with macadamia nuts and a chocolate crust. Very good. DDad isn't a big dessert guy so he didn't even taste it. The gals did, but seemed happier with the other selections. I was so full I was almost sick by this point, but ate one piece anyway. Yum.

DSis's bummer of an entrée was happily eclipsed by the Kona Kone:

It’s just ice cream, not home made. It tasted like Edy’s to me. There's a scoop of chocolate down in the waffle cone and one of vanilla on top. This dessert is more for looks than taste, but DSis ate the whole thing.

Overall- Kona's food is quite good, but not quite worth the hype. We didn't really like the atmosphere. It’s right off the monorail lobby and all open so it was very noisy. The service wasn't bad, it’s just I expect more from Disney. I also, flame away, don't really like the Poly. The first time we went to WDW (OMG I think that was in 1986!) DMom wanted to stay there, but they had no availability so we stayed at the CR. DDad noted
that he didn't like the look of the resort and found it disappointing. I have never stayed there, but have visited before and I agree. It just looks dated to me. One thing we did learn here was about Disney TS portions. I think this was when DDad finally got why I wanted us to share. 4 appies and 4 desserts would have been insane. Ordering an extra entree is a good strategy though. The servers everywhere we did this were always nice and charged us for the cheapest one.
I'd say this was a B++ meal. It lost out on the ambiance, service and, the veggie option. Let’s give it a B++.

Value $95.77 for 2 TS credits (that was the receipt for me and DSis) + 1 TS + wine and an additional entrée = approximately $170

Next - day 3 (more RF, Sunshine Seasons and Biergarten)

OMG everything looks great, but I have to say that the prime rib looked like they just killed the cow and put it on your table!

 

[Angelrose]

We went to Kona on our trip in December and my DH had the Pan Asian noodle bowl vegetarian. He didn't get any tofu but he asked for and got some broccoli. The bowl was never ending! He kept eating and eating and it never got any more empty. I had a few bites and it really was delicious. Sorry your dSis didn't enjoy hers. It did look kind of pitiful compared to what my DH got.

 

[mom22boys]

Can't wait to read more! Thanks!

 

[abminer]

Day 3-Roaring Fork, Sunshine Seasons and Biergarten (CP dinner package)

Roaring Fork:

We started the day back at Roaring Fork. This time I used credits differently. We used 1 CS credit and got another bounty platter for DDad and DSis to share (he ate all the bacon, she ate all the pancakes) with 2 coffees and DMom and I went hog wild with 5 snack credits. We each got a drink (milk and OJ) and oatmeal and a fruit cup to share. At Roaring fork there is a second counter perpendicular to the one with the hot items (the bakery and drinks cases separate them). This area has the yogurt and oatmeal bar in the morning and the sandwiches at other times. The cups of oatmeal aren't huge, but the toppings are limitless. After piling on the brown sugar (you scoop up your own oatmeal and the sugar is next to it) I handed it over to the CM at the toppings bar. I got almonds, golden raisins and fresh strawberries. Here it is with the fruit cup:

These same toppings are available for the yogurt parfaits (there's granola and berries...). One comment, this counter seemed to never be staffed. No matter what time of day we were there, there'd be a CM at the hot food bar, even if no one was waiting, and never anyone behind the cold bar. You had to just hover until a CM in the back noticed and came out. We didn't wait long, but you could walk right by and miss these options because of it.

On the flip side, the CM at the register sent me back once I got up to him because I’d grabbed a small OJ and he said not to worry about holding up the line, just to go swap for a 16 ounce one and he'd wait. Very cool.

Overall- Same good experiences every time at RF. Food was good and oatmeal is really satisfying for a snack credit.

Value $25.49

 

[wilma-bride]

Shame about your experience at Kona. We are really looking forward tothis in April so Ihope we don't feel the same way.

Roaring Fork sounds like a good CS option, which is good because we are at the WL for 8 nights

 

[Jenniww]

I love your reviews so far...
I thought my Dson7 was the only person in the world who hated mashed potatoes. He tells everyone he is allergic... Honestly one bite and he loses the rest of his dinner on the kitchen table.

 

[TigerKat]

We had a "not so great" experience at KONA for the second straight year. I'm not a mashed potato lover either, I'd much prefer a nice baked potato. Enjoying your reviews!

 

[epicureangirl]

The mango iced is unsweetened, sadly. I'm a sweet tea lover and soon discovered that almost all iced tea at WDW is unsweetened.

Thanks for including this detail. I love iced tea, and usually order if I'm out, but in Canada iced tea is ALWAYS sweet. It is a very unpleasant shock when you take your first sip of an unsweetened iced tea and trying to dissolve a packet of sugar in freezing tea is very difficult.

 

[disneynutz]

 

[jessrose18]

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