7 nights of Disney dining with Yacht Club Concierge level (UPDATED 2/24)

[GoBirds]

I'm in we are staying at Yacht in August and sooooo looking forward to it - not CL though

Good start

You'll love the Yacht Club. The hotel is nice, but what really makes it stand out is the location (right in the heart of Epcot, Boardwalk and Hollywood Studios) and the pool (definitely the best pool complex at Disney).

 

[GoBirds]

The Clam bake looks great but I always thought inappropriate for one fish eater and three carnivores. Looks like I may be wrong?

I would definitely give it a try, especially if you're staying at the Y&B. The meat options (like the BBQ ribs) are decent, but I must say that it is a much, much better meal if you like the seafood. I recommend the restaurant much more strongly for people who like the idea of unlimited crab legs and steamed clams (like me )

 

[GoBirds]

After a day at the Magic Kingdom, we hopped the monorail back to the Poly, this time for dinner at Ohana! Now, some may be asking themselves why anyone would eat at the same table service restaurant twice in one day. Well, number one, as I had mentioned before, this was kind of a last minute trip, so getting reservations at some of the more popular restaurants (like Ohana) was difficult, and this was the only day we could get the reservation. But second, and more importantly, Ohana's breakfasts and dinners are entirely different atmospheres and experiences, and it doesn't even feel like you've been in the same restaurant twice in one day.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you want to eat at Ohana (breakfast or dinner), I highly recommend that you make your reservation 180 days prior to your vacation (the earliest Disney will allow reservations) in order to get Ohana on the day you want. I've found that Ohana's breakfasts and dinners are among the most difficult ADRs to secure (along with Cinderella's Royal Table, Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's and Le Cellier).

So we arrived and were seated. Ohana is designed with a large open grill in the center of the restaurant where the skewers of steak, pork, turkey and shrimp are cooked:

The tables are arranged around the grill. The tables to the front of the grill and to the side furthest from the restaurant's entrance have the best view of the grill and also Cinderella's Castle, which Ohana overlooks. Those to the rear of the grill and to the side closest to the entrance cannot see the grill well from their tables, and you are also not in that area of the restaurant where you can easily see out of the large windows overlooking Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately for us, we got seated in one of the not-so-good areas this time. I suppose we could've asked to wait for a better table, but with a 6-month old, pushing your luck with a long wait can come back to bite you. The baby had been a so far this trip and we didn't want to risk a . Plus, we were headed over to Hollywood Studios for the Osborne Lights and Extra Evening Magic Hours, so we were content to just stay at our table.

Once seated, your server takes your drink order. Then they almost immediately bring out the welcome bread and appetizers:

The welcome bread is a tasty sweeter-than-normal bread. The tossed salad is mixed greens with a honey and lime dressing (very good). Then we have chicken wings with an asian-tasting marinade and pork pot stickers. All very good, but CAUTION! Do NOT fill up on this (which is easy to do) because the main course (the skewers of meat) is coming very soon.

These appeizers are brought to your table family-style for all to share (in fact, "Ohana" means "family). One complaint I have about Ohana is that, every time we eat there (and we eat there every trip), the servers seem to bring out the welcome bread and appetizers almost immediately upon seating us. Very little time to sit down, get settled, and enjoy a ...

By the way, this was a deliciously bold Cabernet, a little but not overly spicy, which stood up well to the strong Hawaiian flavors of the food.

Anyway, back to my point. The bread and appetizers are brought out before the drinks are even brought out, and then, the servers begin bringing the skewers of meat over to your table well before we've had time to finish the appetizers. I suppose that may be part of the idea ... Ohana is a family-style restaurant where you can put a few wings, pot stickers, bread and salad on your plate to enjoy along with main course (in other words, it's more like an all-at-once family feast instead of a more structured sit-down restaurant of drinks, break, appetizer, break, entree, break, dessert). But, I just like a little settling-in time at a restaurant. Ohana can sometimes feel like they're trying to rush you in and out (but I guess that comes with the territory at one of Disney's most popular restaurants).

So after enjoying some bread/salad/wings/pot stickers, the servers begin to bring the skewers to your table. Yes, multiple servers come around with an entire skewer of steak, pork, turkey or shrimp. Then they ask you how much you'd like and they put it on your plate. I didn't get any pictures of the servers with skewers actually putting the food on our plates, but here's the food after it made it to our plates (and partly to our stomachs) :

The first picture is a marinated sirloin steak. This is generally cooked medium. Pretty good, though I must admit I like my steak rare, and the Ohana steak is obviously grilled to a one-size-fits-all happy "medium." This was good, but I remember liking the steak better the last time we ate there. It tasted the same, but it was a little tougher this time. Coincidentally, we've eaten at Ohana three times. The first and third times we were seated in the not-so-good areas. The second time we had perfect window seats overlooking the lagoon and castle. It was our second visit to Ohana when I thought the food tasted the best (coincidence ??? I think not. I swear that food tastes better in the World generally, and even more so with a great view).

Next we have the asian BBQ pork loin and the mesquite grilled turkey. Now these were good. I'm normally a much bigger red meat fan (compared to white meat), but the pork and turkey were really tasty. Perfectly grilled and marinated, and went perfectly with the trio of dipping sauces (which I'll get to in a minute). Maybe it's just that I'm such a bigger fan of steak that my expectations for steak are higher than they would be for pork or turkey, thus "skewing" my views on the food ... sorry!

Finally, we have the peel-n-eat shrimp. Nice grilled taste.

As I mentioned, Ohana brings a trio of dipping sauces to your table to accomapany the meats:

The sauces are peanut, sweet-n-sour and chimichurri. All three are good, and honestly, I tried all 4 meats/shrimp with all 3 sauces (for a total of 12 different combos ), and all were good. My favorite sauce was the peanut. So unique and delicious!

Along with the skewered meats, the meal is accompanied by two sides, broccoli and asian noodles, again served family-style to your table:

Now, while DS4 (our more adventurous eater) partook in some of the adult fare, DS7 required something a little more kid-traditional, and Ohana obliged. They have a standard children's menu (read chicken nuggets, hot dogs, mac-n-cheese, fries) for kids under 10.

DS7 got the chicken nuggets and fries, DS4 ordered the kid's mac-n-cheese, and as you can see, DS0 couldn't wait to grow teeth and share with his foodie family.

Being the family-friendly restaurant that it is, Ohana lets all the smaller kids get up (I think they do this about once an hour??? Correct me if I'm wrong) and play this game where they push coconuts around the restaurant with brooms (and for those of you without kids, do not fret; this actually isn't as disruptive as you might think). Again, this is a good opportunity if the kids are getting a little restless for them to get up and blow off steam for a few minutes.

Finally, here comes dessert. Now, while the appetizers and entrees are good, dessert was, for me, the highlight of the meal at Ohana:

Bread pudding, with a banana-caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. Holy cow did I enjoy this!!! The sauce was delicious with the bread pudding and ice cream. I could've eaten an entire second plate of it myself. But DW insisted it was time to get over to the Studios, and so we left the Poly ...

While I've voiced a few criticisms about Ohana, it is still a must-do Disney tradition for our family. The atmosphere is great for both adults and kids. While the food may not be the very best Disney has to offer, it is still well above-average. More importantly, the food is unique (not like anything you can find at home). And we'll definitely be back.

Next up: Tusker House character breakfast at Animal Kingdom!!!

 

[iloveeeyore]

We also love dinner at 'Ohana! Never tried breakfast, but maybe sometime.

We always tell our server that we like to linger over dinner and ask that it be paced a little more slowly, and he has always obliged. We have never had a problem with it being too slow.

 

[GoBirds]

We always tell our server that we like to linger over dinner and ask that it be paced a little more slowly, and he has always obliged. We have never had a problem with it being too slow.

Yeah, we'll definitely make a point to tell our server next time.

By the way, you're doing a great report as well. Loved the Raglan Road review. Haven't been there yet, but need to get there.

 

[nutz2notz]

Loving your report so far. Looking forward to more.

 

[kelleigh1]

YUM!! We have Cape May and Ohana (dinner) on our list for our October trip. It all looks so good. (And we are staying at YC, but not CL).

 

[GoBirds]

Loving your report so far. Looking forward to more.

Thanks! Next report coming shortly!

 

[GoBirds]

YUM!! We have Cape May and Ohana (dinner) on our list for our October trip. It all looks so good. (And we are staying at YC, but not CL).

Maybe we'll run into each other. We have YC scheduled again for first week in October. DW couldn't resist the bounce-back offer!

 

[kelleigh1]

Maybe we'll run into each other. We have YC scheduled again for first week in October. DW couldn't resist the bounce-back offer!

We'll miss each other - we're going the last week. Actually over Halloween. So you'll have to post another report from October before we head down there so I can have up to the minute info.

 

[GoBirds]

We'll miss each other - we're going the last week. Actually over Halloween. So you'll have to post another report from October before we head down there so I can have up to the minute info.

No problem. Can't wait for the Food & Wine Festival!

 

[GoBirds]

For our second full day in the World, we headed to Animal Kingdom. This is actually my second-favorite park (after Epcot). Very relaxing. In fact, this is the first of our three trips that we did not stay at least part of the time at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Fortunately, DW couldn't resist the Disney bounce-back offer, so we're currently scheduled to head back to the World next fall, and we're staying at AKL for the first half of the trip and back to Yacht Club for the second half (can anyone say Food & Wine Festival )!!!

Anyway, we arrived at Animal Kingdom, and after a leisurely stroll through the Oasis admiring the surroundings, we headed for our next character breakfast at Tusker House! After the obligatory photo outside the restaurant with Donald ...

... we headed inside for the buffet. Unlike the Ohana breakfast (where they bring the food to your table family-style), Tusker House is a traditional help-yourself all-you-can-eat buffet. Upon being seated, our server immediately took our drink order, bringing a pot of coffee (for DW), milk (for the kids) and frunch (for me) to the table. (For those who don't know my fondness for frunch, or don't even know what it is, please see my Ohana breakfast report at Post #14; suffice it to say, frunch is a Disney breakfast staple). Below, DS4 enjoys some frunch:

Our server was VERY good. Despite the crowded restaurant, he was very attentive, constantly returning to our table to clear our plates and see if we needed any drink refills. He was also very good at giving us a heads-up as to how long it would be before the next character arrived at our table and advising us whether we had enough time to get back up to the buffet.

We all had some of the standard fare, which includes scrambled eggs, bacon, tater tots and potato wedges. The eggs, bacon and tater tots were all good, but they were basically standard Disney staples; pretty indistinguishable from similar items at other Disney breakfast buffets (the scrambles eggs at Ohana were much more memorable). The potato wedges, however, were uniquely seasoned in line with the African theme.

DW got a variety of the quiches. I didn't try these, but she really enjoyed them. Also on her plate were yams (at the top of the plate) and ham with mustard sauce. Again, while Tusker House has the standard breakfast items, they also have a variety of unique African-themed items. The yams and the ham and mustard sauce were very memorable. (I'll have more to say abort the ham in a minute!)

DS4's plate consisted of fresh fruit, bacon, Mickey waffles and a chocolate doughnut. The doughnut was devoured!

After tasting DW's ham with the mustard sauce, I had to get a big slab of it myself:

This was the best item at the buffet (though DS7 and DS4 would vote for the doughnut!) Very flavorful, the sauce being a spicy, well-seasoned honey-mustard, the ham being tender and juicy on its own.

Tusker House has a great selection of characters. Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy all come around to each table individually. Bring your camera and take plenty of pictures! A Cast Member will come to your table near the end of your meal to offer you a professional photograph of your picture with Donald (which occurs outside before you enter the restaurant -- see the beginning of this post) This is like 30+ dollars added to your bill. Doesn't seem worth it. Donald comes around to the tables (along with all the other characters) so there's plenty of opportunity to get your own "free" photos with everyone.

*** Update: DW says I'm wrong ... She says Donald doesn't come to the tables because he stays outside the whole time; it's only Mickey, Goofy and Daisy that come to the tables. For some reason, I seem to remember Donald coming by our table too. But maybe I was just too focused on the ham and mustard sauce. Anyone have any thoughts??? Well, DW is probably right, but geez ... nag nag nag!

Finally, like the Ohana breakfast, about every 30 minutes or so, the servers will hand out "shakers" and other noise-makers and the restaurant will play music and invite kids to dance in a line around the restaurant with the characters:

Overall, Tusker House is a very good character breakfast to enjoy during your day at Animal Kingdom. While it serves all the generic stuff, it has enough unique African-themed items to make it a memorable experience. One final note: Tusker House was one of the most difficult ADRs to secure. It's the only character meal in the Animal Kingdom area of Disney World. Fortunately, I understand that Tusker House lunches are now character meals too. Hopefully, this opens up the opportunity for more people to experience a Tusker House meal with characters. We ate at Tusker House for lunch back in 2010 (no characters), and it was very good with many interesting items (tabbouleh salad, variously seasoned meats, hams, etc.) Our plan is to do Tusker House on our next trip for lunch instead, so we can enjoy the interesting lunch items and still experience the characters.

Next up: Pizzafari lunch and Jiko dinner!!!

 

[Joshua_me]

Great reviews so far !

Thanks for taking the time to write them and to post all the pics....

Regarding your pics from the Cape May Buffet: Wow ! You got lucky that night ! I've seen snow crab legs not even half that size appear on the buffet on some nights.... And, with barely little meat inside of them.

Much as we love the place, Cape May has become a sort of "hit or miss" buffet, with some nights being great, and others...well, not so much.

You and yours were definitely there on a "hit night". All the food looks great.

Looking forward to the rest of your reviews...

And, thanks again !

 

[kelleigh1]

Tusker House breakfast is another that's on our list. And as much as I hate to throw another wife under the bus (because we are always right, even when we're wrong), in your picture of the kids game, Donald is clearly inside and therefore didn't stay "outside the entire time". Now that doesn't mean he went to all the tables, so in that case, the wife is still right.

 

[merbobear]

Ahhhh I should stop reading this report, your reviews are making me want to rearrange my entire ADR schedule, which has been set in stone for about 3 months already! I am with you, though, I love doing the ADR/Park Touring shuffle and getting everything to fit together. While I wouldn't say it is as much fun as the vacation itself, it definitely helps pass the time while we are waiting to go back!
I am glad to have read your glowing review of 'Ohana dinner, we are headed there in May. We have done CMC but only for breakfast - it was a contender this year for dinner, but our love of character meals won over and it didn't make the final cut.
Looking forward to reading the rest of your reviews!

 

[emmysmommy]

Thanks for sharing your reviews.... I really, really, really want to try 'Ohana for dinner some time. As amazing as all the sides and meats look, I think I could make a meal out of the bread pudding!

I've cancelled Tusker House breakfast ADRs twice for past trips but I think I really need to give this a try soon.

Looking forward to more!

 

[Pinkgirl]

Love your O'hana review. We cant wait to try it. I'm a bit on the fence with Tusker breakfast. Good food but the worst service ever. On a side note - when they leave the Donald picture for you to decide about, slide it out of the frame and note down the number on the side then add to your photopass account (if you're doing photopass that is).

 

[GoBirds]

Regarding your pics from the Cape May Buffet: Wow ! You got lucky that night ! I've seen snow crab legs not even half that size appear on the buffet on some nights.... And, with barely little meat inside of them.

Much as we love the place, Cape May has become a sort of "hit or miss" buffet, with some nights being great, and others...well, not so much.

You and yours were definitely there on a "hit night". All the food looks great.

Thanks. Glad you're enjoying the reviews. And I can definitely see how Cape May could have "off nights." Sometimes the clams are tougher than normal, sometimes the crab legs smaller. Hopefully, I haven't built it up too much so that people are disappointed. I'll keep my fingers crossed that we keep getting lucky with Cape May, because we'll definitely be back!

 

[GoBirds]

Tusker House breakfast is another that's on our list. And as much as I hate to throw another wife under the bus (because we are always right, even when we're wrong), in your picture of the kids game, Donald is clearly inside and therefore didn't stay "outside the entire time". Now that doesn't mean he went to all the tables, so in that case, the wife is still right.

Actually, DW says that it's Daisy (not Donald) in the picture. But I agree with you, that doesn't prove anything either way!

 

[GoBirds]

Ahhhh I should stop reading this report, your reviews are making me want to rearrange my entire ADR schedule, which has been set in stone for about 3 months already! I am with you, though, I love doing the ADR/Park Touring shuffle and getting everything to fit together. While I wouldn't say it is as much fun as the vacation itself, it definitely helps pass the time while we are waiting to go back!
I am glad to have read your glowing review of 'Ohana dinner, we are headed there in May. We have done CMC but only for breakfast - it was a contender this year for dinner, but our love of character meals won over and it didn't make the final cut.
Looking forward to reading the rest of your reviews!

Glad you're enjoying the reviews. I'm enjoying writing them. I actually have never been to the Cape May character breakfast, so that's definitely on our must-do list for next time. How does it compare to the other character breakfasts?