9/15-9/22 Max & Mommy Eat Around The World - Some w/Pix [ALL DONE]

[Wendi2000]

We were in WDW from Saturday, September 15, 2007 through Saturday, September 22, 2007. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and we were on the dining plan - started out booking free dining, but the later discount code ended up being even cheaper so we re-booked and added the dining plan to our new reservation.

The Players:

Wendi (Mommy) - 37, I looooove to eat, but I don't really eat meat, I did eat a little meat on this trip, I will try nearly everything but at home I'm an "almost vegetarian" - I eat a lot of fish and seafood, and occasionally chicken, but it's very rare.

Max - 5, not at all picky, and he loves meat! He probably likes to get it every chance he can because I never make it for him... probably why he loves to go out to eat! I also want to mention that Max is a bit of a foodie already. Some of his favorite foods are salmon and sushi and he never opts for chicken nuggets.

DAY ONE – Saturday, September 15, 2007
The Mara
1 CS credit/1 Mug Purchase
Food: ****
Service: ****
OK, after getting settled into our room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, I convinced Max that he needed to come with me to get some food even though he was fully engrossed in the classic Disney cartoons on TV. I could barely pry him away, seriously!!! I reminded him that the same channel was always on in the Mara. We went down to the Mara and shared a Shrimp Platter – this comes with a side of Fries or Couscous Salad – I chose the salad. Last year the meal specifically came with fries, but I was always allowed to grab a small (snack credit sized) green salad from the fridge – this year the only sides allowed were the fries or couscous salad. I got Max his choice of dessert and drink– a Chocolate Dipped Rice Crispy Treat Mickey Head on a Stick and a Silk Chocolate Soy Milk. I also bought a refillable mug, so I had Coke – I don’t want to go into caffeine withdrawals do I? The platter was very good; Max ate the majority of the shrimp, which was OK with me because he didn’t want any of the salad so I ate about ¾ of it.

Our plan had been to head to either Epcot or the Magic Kingdom tonight just to see fireworks, but Max wanted to stay at the AKL and swim instead, so I agreed to that.

One of the rituals we started last year was to stop in at the Mara each night, fill our mug with hot chocolate and take it out to the pool with us – we would swim and have hot chocolate breaks, a very nice ritual if you ask me! Tonight we reinstated our ritual, it was just as good as we’d remembered.

No pictures tonight... I must start by saying that I always plan to take pictures of every meal before we dig in, but I almost never actually remember to do it. So there are some meals with pictures in our review, and some without, most of the ones that I did remember to take are of partially eaten food because I forgot about the pictures until we were halfway through eating... sorry!!!

 

[Wendi2000]

DAY TWO – Sunday, September 16, 2007
Main Street Bake Shop
4 Snack Credits
Food: ****
Service: ****
We were at the Magic Kingdom early this morning for the Little Ones Extra Magic Hours and after our morning attractions we were getting hungry so we went to grab some breakfast at the Main Street Bake Shop. This was our first time at the Bake Shop and Max wanted a huge Cinnamon Roll and an Apple Juice. I decided to get the infamous French Toast Loaf and a large Coffee. Both were good, but too sweet for me. I’m not used to eating such sweet stuff for breakfast. Neither of us even got to the halfway mark of either item, but they were delicious. I thought the French Toast Loaf was a little better than the Cinnamon Roll because it wasn’t as sweet and it was very moist. The line moved at an acceptable speed and there were tables available once we had paid for our food.

Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café
2 CS Credits
Food: ****
Service: ***
After a long morning and lots of attractions, we needed to take a break and find something for lunch – not only were we hungry, but we really needed to just sit down and relax, and get a respite from the heat. Max didn’t want Columbia Harbour House, but he was very excited when we walked over to Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café and I offered to get him Ribs. He has been asking me for ribs for months now (although I doubt he actually knew what they were)!!! I got the Chicken & Ribs platter with a Carrot Cake and Large Coke and the Kid’s Garden Salad w/Chicken with double Grapes and a Coke. Yep, I let him drink whatever he wants on vacation… he usually eats well too, so I don’t mind getting him whatever snacks he wants too. The Chicken & Ribs Platter really is huge; it comes with sides of Glazed Carrots (yuck) and Mashed Red Skinned Potatoes (yum). The Coke was huge; I was glad they still let you get the large drinks with the dining plan; I was very thirsty and actually finished it! I ate the Salad and it was very good, I’m not sure if the kid’s meal was supposed to come with a dessert, but we didn’t get one… didn’t need it anyway. The grapes weren’t as good as Disney’s grapes have been in the past, but they hit the spot. Max LOVED the Ribs and had messy hands and face at the end, just like he should have. He didn’t eat anything else and wasn’t hungry enough to even try the chicken. I had a few bites of the chicken and it was good, nothing special – it could’ve used a little salt because it wasn’t really seasoned other than probably the skin, which I didn’t taste. I ate about half of the Carrot Cake – the first bite was too sweet, but I got over it! Max didn’t even want to taste it, he always surprises me…

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that it was about 1:00 when we went to lunch and there were NO TABLES at all inside, so we had to sit outside, nice respite, huh? Oh well, we were ready to go back to the hotel for a swim break anyway.

Zawadi Marketplace
1 Snack Credit
Food: ****
Service: *****
When we got back to the hotel we stopped at the Zawadi Marketplace to pick up Max’s special treat – a box of assorted Entenmann’s Donuts (one of his favorite rituals from our last trip was sitting on the balcony with a donut). We had our swim and Max even took a nap before I had to wake him up to get back to MK for Wishes.

Liberty Tree Tavern
2 TS Credits
Food: ***
Service: ****
After Wishes, we headed straight to the Liberty Tree Tavern for our 8:30 ADR. We didn’t wait too long and got a nice little window table. Our waiter was Mo – he was great. We had very good warm dinner rolls with butter – they were nice and soft and sweet. Salad was good, but unexciting. Ham was very tasty but a bit dry. Mashed Potatoes and Gravy are always good! Green Beans, meh. Macaroni & Cheese, meh. Stuffing, meh. Apple Cobbler a la mode – yum! I had Iced Tea (no lemon?) and then coffee (which was very good – strong!) Max had apple juice and he barely ate anything at all. Chip, Minnie, Pluto, Dale and Goofy visited (Chip and Minnie came twice).

I have more LTT photos at http://www.flickr.com/gp/14058742@N04/9910i7 if you are interested in seeing more, but I think this is the cutest one!

 

[Wendi2000]

I can't post a link to my photos??? Well, if you want to see more, let me know - they aren't of the food though, just character shots.

 

[Wendi2000]

No pictures today, sorry. I forgot about pictures at breakfast and lunch, and we've all seen PLENTY of pictures from 'Ohana, so I didn't even bother there.

DAY THREE – Monday, September 17, 2007
The Mara
1 CS Credit/1 Snack Credit
Food: ****
Service: ***
I had a hard time rousing Max this morning. Oh well, I let him rest and then we went down to get a big Breakfast Bounty Platter to share, a Coffee for me (in the mug) and an Apple Juice for Max, I also grabbed a PowerAde to take with us to the parks. We took it back to the room and sat out on the balcony to enjoy it. The breakfast was really good, and too much food even for two of us. I was under the impression though that with breakfast on the dining plan we were supposed to get two beverages since there was no dessert… the cashier told me that with the “Bounty” you only got one drink (which is fine, but probably should’ve been pointed out at the time I ordered it or maybe a sign???) Also, she told me that the second beverage couldn’t be the larger sized one – I’m not sure why. We did get one large sized beverage with the Bounty though, and I filled my mug with coffee and used a snack credit for the other drink. We headed to the Animal Kingdom after breakfast.

Pizzafari
2 CS Credits
Food: *****
Service: *****
At about 1:30 we were pretty hungry, we had checked out Flame Tree BBQ and Pizzafari about an hour before and the food lines were very long, we didn’t want to wait that long for food – I figured this would be a better time to go. We decided on Pizzafari and the wait wasn’t bad – we were able to easily find a table too. I had the Hot Italian Sandwich, Apple Blossom and Unsweetened Iced Tea (with a lemon, yay!) I was really impressed with this lunch. The sandwich was really, really good - very good flavors that went well together - perfectly moist and large - but I still ate the whole thing! Max had Pepperoni Pizza, Chocolate Cake, and a Coke. I ordered an adult meal for him and didn’t have any problem at the register on the dining plan. He loves Pepperoni Pizza so it was worth a shot. The cashier didn’t say a thing, yay.

‘Ohana
2 TS Credits
Food: ***
Service: ***
We got to ‘Ohana at about 8:35 for our 9:10 ADR and I mentioned that we were early but we were starving… I was really hoping they’d get us in quickly. Unfortunately we weren’t seated until about 9:30 and we got a horrible little table far away from anything at all and next to a big pillar. They didn’t have any fun kid stuff going on either – too late for that I suppose. Our servers were Debbie and Edwin and they were great. Food was about the same as always, except the Salad didn’t have enough of that yummy Honey Lime dressing on it and the Sweet & Sour Shrimp were slightly mushy. Max liked the Chicken Wings and Steak. I thought the Pork was excellent and the Turkey was good too. Both were very moist and smoky – just the right amount of charring from the grill. I was surprised that Max didn’t want more meat! I thought the Scalloped Potatoes were better than they had been in the past, the Veggies were good, but the Fried Won Tons were totally over salted and seemed more greasy than on past visits, we probably got the bottom of the barrel for the evening. We were finished pretty quickly, mostly because Max didn’t want to eat much and he was so tired… so was I! I asked for Coffee and our Dessert right away so we could hurry things up a bit. Debbie was great and brought everything out and asked for my card so she could charge us out and we wouldn’t need to wait.

I have to mention that getting out of the Polynesian this late and getting back to another resort is a complete nightmare. The buses at the Poly are just horrible IMHO - we have always experienced super long waits, then of course you have to go all the way to DTD and then all the way from there to your resort - does DTD seem like it's in another freakin' state to anyone else? It just seems to take forever to get there!!! Anyway, after this trip I swear I will never, ever, ever book any more late dinners at the Poly.

Next up: Les Chefs de France & Dinner at the Mara

 

[Minniespal]

Brillant

 

[Wendi2000]

DAY FOUR – Tuesday, September 18, 2007
I stopped by the Mara to fill my mug with Coffee and we headed out for our bus to Epcot.

Les Chefs de France
2 TS Credits
Food: ****
Service: *****
We got to Les Chefs de France a little after 1:00 for our 1:30 ADR and they were ready to seat us immediately, but we needed to use the restroom first as soon as we came back out they took us to our table. This was our first time eating here, but it certainly won’t be our last! Our waiter was Romain from Nice, France and he was fantastic. I had the Tarte aux Champignons Sauvages et Quatre Fromages, Filet de Saumon sur lit de Pommes de Terre Ecrasees a l'Anciennne, Sauce Vierge, Vanilla Crème Brulee and a Coke. Max had the Friand au Fromage, Croquette de Boeuf En Brioche (Burger), the biggest Chocolate Chip Cookie I’ve ever seen, and a Chocolate Milk. He loved everything. My mushroom pizza was so good, not to mention huge! I would've been happy with this for my entire meal. The salmon was prepared perfectly, however I found the potatoes and the sauce to be on the bland side - maybe not bland so much as just not salty and I think a little bit of salt could've brought out the flavors a bit better. I still really enjoyed it though. I thought the kid's burger was a little awkward – from the description I thought it would be a couple of mini burgers, but it was a couple of small hamburger patties on a large bun… it didn’t quite fit together very well, but Max didn’t seem to have a problem with that so I guess it was OK. He did not want the cookie, but I ordered it for him anyway when he wasn’t listening and he was a little mad when it came… but then he actually ate a lot of it! I couldn’t believe it; it must have been really good!

This restaurant has a great atmosphere! It really felt like we were sitting in Paris, I loved the little details that just made this restaurant unique. Our service was really fantastic and this restaurant is going on our “favorite” list.

The Mara
1 CS Credit
Food: *****
Service: ****
Later that evening, when we returned to the hotel, Max had fallen asleep on the bus and I put him in the stroller and let him go back to sleep, but I told him I was going to get us some dinner to share and if he could stay awake he could watch cartoons while I got the food. He kept insisting that he wanted nothing to eat. I went to the Mara and parked him at a table while I went to get dinner, he had fallen back to sleep but I put him in front of the TV in case he woke up while I was getting the food. I chose the Half Chicken Platter, which came with Couscous and Stewed Vegetables, Cheesecake, and a Power Ade, and then I filled up my mug with Cherry Coke. I got back to the room and Max woke up to watch cartoons… uggh, the same ones play over and over. He was finally ready to eat so I gave him a bunch of chicken, which he devoured and most of the cheesecake, which he also inhaled. After that he ate a lot of snack mix and some smokehouse almonds that we brought along from home… pretty good for someone who wanted “nothing”. The Chicken was very, very good here – so moist and flavorful, and I really liked the Cous Cous and Veggies they were a good combination - they are served separately but the vegetables are in a tomato-based sauce and go very well over the cous cous. The flavors and textures are just right.

Stay tuned for: Boma Breakfast, my first taste of School Bread, and Kona Cafe dinner... coming soon!!!

 

[TigerKat]

Subscribing....your Max is adorable!

 

[Wendi2000]

Subscribing....your Max is adorable!

Thanks! I think he's a keeper...

 

[Texa]

Love the idea of the Mom and Max trip! I'm thinking of doing something similar when DH goes TDY to help pass the time. Great job.

 

[mom2fivecs]

Enjoying the reviews...thanks for sharing.

 

[MOTHERGOOSE3]

great review so far

 

[Busymom85]

Thanks for the great reviews. What a cute son. Looking forward to the rest.

 

[my3disneygirls]

 

[Leota]

Thanks for the reviews. My Max (literally, his name is also Max ) is now 19 & has been traveling to WDW with us since he was 4. I will always cherish my Max & Mom trips & hope to have many more! I hope you & your Max enjoy the same.

 

[luckytobeme88]

Your Max is just the cutest.
We will be staying at the AKL next summer. Please tell me about that the half chicken meal you had at Mara is as good as Tusker's house used to have. I am so missing Tusker House :..(

 

[Wendi2000]

Love the idea of the Mom and Max trip! I'm thinking of doing something similar when DH goes TDY to help pass the time. Great job.

Great way to pass time!!!

Enjoying the reviews...thanks for sharing.

great review so far

Thanks for the great reviews. What a cute son. Looking forward to the rest.

Thanks for reading... I hope to post more tonight!!!

Thanks for the reviews. My Max (literally, his name is also Max ) is now 19 & has been traveling to WDW with us since he was 4. I will always cherish my Max & Mom trips & hope to have many more! I hope you & your Max enjoy the same.

We really enjoy our trips. We go to Disneyland a lot, this was our third trip to WDW (third consecutive year at the same time of year), my mom went with us on the prior two trips and it was really nice having her along to help out. I was a little nervous (admittedly for selfish reasons... like riding the rides that I want to ride!!! hahaha) but I must say it was the best trip!!! We had a great time and I didn't feel frustrated or get overly anxious about anything, we just chilled out and had a good time together.

Your Max is just the cutest.
We will be staying at the AKL next summer. Please tell me about that the half chicken meal you had at Mara is as good as Tusker's house used to have. I am so missing Tusker House :..(

I can't compare it to Tusker House because I've only ever had the salmon there (and I'm soooo bummed that they took away our favorite AK restaurant!), but I can say that it is better than the half chicken at Cosmic Ray's. It is moist and it has actual flavor! I am pretty sure it is the same as the chicken on the Boma buffet.

 

[Wendi2000]

DAY FIVE – Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Boma
2 TS Credits
Food: ***
Service: *
This morning is our breakfast at Boma. We just love Boma. We arrived at 8:15 for our 8:00 ADR and were seated quickly. Our server was so rushed it was almost unbelievable! She sped to our table and speedily asked if we wanted coffee and Frunch (which I think has changed it’s name to Jamba Juice… that’s what she kept calling it, but it’s very odd that they would name it that!) and barely gave us a chance to answer before she wanted to run off… I had to stop her and let her know that Max wanted apple juice instead. We didn’t eat much, Max wasn’t hungry.. yet again. Why is it that when we go to the all-you-care-to-eat places he doesn’t want to eat anything? I want to fill up a few plates and try a lot of things and he is just itching to leave!!! I got up and fixed a plate for him first: Waffle, Pancakes, Bacon, Sausage, Watermelon, and a tiny Cinnamon Roll. I put it down in front of him and went to get myself a plate: Corned Beef Boboti, Bacon, an Egg Over-Medium, Toast, Oatmeal w/Brown Sugar, and a tiny Cheese Danish. Max stole the Cheese Danish, and ate most of it before he proclaimed it “disgusting” and gave it back to me – it was good. The rest of the breakfast just didn’t impress like it usually does. Maybe it was our server, maybe Max, maybe I just wasn’t in the mood. Mostly, I felt rushed, not because of Little Miss Speedy Pants, but because of Max. The Kenyan Coffee Press Pot is no longer included with the dining plan, I just ordered regular coffee this time, the good stuff is very good and I normally would've paid out of pocket, but I knew I wouldn’t truly be able to savor and enjoy it anyway so I saved a few bucks. I feel bad giving Boma such a bad rating because it truly is one of our favorite restaurants... but that's how it really was this morning so I've gotta tell it like it is. I will go back, I know that this was just an isolated case. Soon we paid our check and headed out to Epcot for the day. We had planned to go to the Animal Kingdom again today, but it was supposed to be stormy all day and I figured that was the worst park to be in on a rainy day… we should’ve gone anyway, it didn’t really rain that much.

Cart (I don’t know which cart it was)
1 Snack Credit
Food: *****
Service: ****
In Epcot’s World Showcase Max had a Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel, and apparently it was really good because he actually ate the entire thing – well, I did get one bite.

Kringla Bakeri og Cafe
1 Snack Credit
Food: ****
Service: ****
I stopped in Norway to try the famous School Bread, I’ve been meaning to try this for a long time and just never got around to it. Even today I wasn’t sure if I really wanted it, but I got it because I knew I’d kick myself later if I skipped it again. I am just never very hungry for snacks in Disney World for some reason. The School Bread is much bigger than I thought it would be, it always looks to be about the size of a donut in pictures, but it is bigger and much taller too. I also thought it would have the consistency of a donut, but it is much denser and drier, more like pan dulce – the same sweetness too. I liked the custard and the coconut topping and thought it was a good snack, I’d definitely have it again if I had a couple of people to share it with! Hmmm... I swear I took pictures of this, but apparently I did not... oh well, there are plenty others on this board.

Kona Cafe
2 TS Credits
Food: *****
Service: *****
Tonight we had an 8:00 ADR at Kona Café. We arrived about 20 minutes early and got our pager. We headed over to the gift shop and browsed around for a few minutes before our pager went off. I ordered the Kona Salad (I was really feeling desperate for some vegetables and I knew my entrée really didn’t have anything more than trace amounts of Bok Choy in the Risotto), Macadamia Mahi-Mahi w/Mushroom Risotto and Sauteed Bok Choy, Apple Brown Betty, Iced Tea (again, no lemon), and a Malibu Macaw. I’m pretty sure this is the same drink I ordered here last year too, it was very good. Max had the kid’s Chicken Noodle Soup, Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Rice Pilaf, and Make-Your-Own Sundae. He had this soup last year and loved it, this year it must have been just as good because he didn’t put his spoon down the entire time, he just kept eating and eating until his entrée came. Next he devoured his fish, I swear two bites and it was gone! He loved it, he said it was like “white salmon” and he loves salmon. Before ordering his meal I had asked the server if he could mix and match the sides with the complete meal or if he had to take the sides that were listed, she told me that he could pick any two sides from any of the kid’s choices, so he was happy to get the soup and the sundae (even though he could really care less about desserts). My salad was very good, it had fresh pear slices on it (I asked ahead what the “fresh fruit” was because it can make a difference). The dressing was nice and it had just the right amount of everything in it. The Mahi-Mahi was just as fantastic as I’d remembered, the only negative was that a few of the macadamia nuts were a little too toasted and had a burnt taste – I could easily see the darker pieces though and was able to avoid them. The risotto is very rich and it just isn’t possible for me to eat more than half of this dish… I wish I could eat it all!

Coming up... Lunch at the Crystal Palace, Dinner at Columbia Harbour House, a drink at Jiko, and a little more from the Mara.

 

[swankybeth]

Great reviews and pictures!

 

[Wendi2000]

Great reviews and pictures!

Thanks... I only wish I could remember to take pictures before we eat!!!

 

[Wendi2000]

DAY SIX – Thursday, September 20, 2007
Crystal Palace
1 Child’s TS Credit/1 Adult Meal OOP
Food: ****
Service: **
We spent the morning at the Magic Kingdom and went on tons of rides before making our way over to the Crystal Palace to check in for lunch. We checked in at 11:25 for our 11:40 ADR and didn’t have much of a wait even though it seemed like there were so many families waiting. We were seated and almost immediately Tigger was at our table, followed quickly by Pooh. A little while later Piglet showed up. We still hadn’t seen our server though and I was wondering if she even knew we were there! She finally made an appearance and took our drink order then she said something about visiting with Piglet (who had already visited with us) and going to the buffet and she’d bring our drinks. I knew what she meant to tell us, but she really made no sense when she was talking to us. We went to the buffet and got our first plates, Max had Macaroni & Cheese, Chicken Nuggets, a Hard Boiled Egg, and a bunch of Cheese. He enjoyed all of the Cheeses, the Egg, and the Chicken, but didn’t eat anything past those items. I had a nice Green Salad, Some type of Greek Pasta Salad, Tomato Mozzarella Salad, Southwest Chicken Salad, and Cheeses. Everything was good except for the Southwest Chicken Salad… it just wasn’t anything special and didn’t have a lot of flavor. I went back for a hot plate and got more food for Max. His plate had Mashed Potatoes w/Beef Reduction Gravy, Salmon, and Roast Beef - he didn’t touch a thing on this plate. I had the Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Broccoli w/Lime Ponzu Sauce (really good), Some Cheesy Pasta Bacon dish that was very good, and the Ancho Chile Rubbed Salmon. I loved the Mashed Potatoes and Gravy (of course), but I wasn’t impressed with the Salmon. Almost everyone reports about how good it is, but I found it to be over seasoned and just what I would normally expect from buffet salmon – over cooked, salty, and actually greasy – I don’t know how they made it greasy, but it was. Our server did stop by to see if I wanted a refill on my soda, I took her up on the offer even though I was only about halfway through the first one because I wasn’t sure if I’d see her again. She asked if it was Root Beer and I told her it was Coke, she repeated Root Beer and I said, “no it’s Coke” again, she got it right. I’m glad I got the second Coke because it was a long time before we saw Laurie again. Max didn’t want dessert, but I had to see what the offerings were. I got some Banana Bread Pudding w/Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Apple Cobbler topped with some Vanilla Soft Serve. The Soft Serve machine isn’t marked, but luckily I could see a little bit of white at the end of one spout, so I was able to figure out which one was vanilla. The desserts were average; the Ice Cream really wasn’t good at all it was more icy than creamy. I actually liked the Bread Pudding more than I thought I would. Finally Laurie showed up to leave us the bill. I was hoping not to confuse her too much, but wanted to pay for my meal out-of-pocket, and use a Dining Credit for Max’s meal. She got it right; she did ask again to double-check which one I was paying for. She came back a while later and said that she had a paper jam for Max’s portion of the bill but she had my portion done. We waited a little while longer while she got it straightened out. She brought out a full sized sheet of paper with our dining credit portion of the bill. It didn’t say how many credits we had remaining, so hopefully it is right. We probably won’t be using the other child’s credit anyway though. We were visited by Eyeore as well during our meal and there was a kid’s parade, which Max refused to participate in. He did make friends with a little girl at the table next to us. They even signed each other’s autograph books and he gave her his Bruce pressed penny, he keeps giving away pressed pennies as gifts to girls he meets!!! Little charmer.

Columbia Harbour House
1 CS Credit
Food: *****
Service: *****
Tonight I took Max to Simba’s Cubhouse at our hotel and had the night to myself in the Magic Kingdom. This is my chance to go on things Max doesn’t like. After a few rides I went to eat at Columbia Harbour House. The line took a while, but I knew it would. I had the Half Anchors Aweigh Sandwich (tuna) and Bowl of Clam Chowder with an Apple Blossom and a Coke. The CM at the register was great – he automatically put in the large sized sodas for everyone without asking and he was very friendly and happy. He wasn’t sure how to put in my request for un-toasted bread, so he pressed the button for “cold” – he knew they’d probably come around to question him on what it meant when the order came up in the kitchen. Indeed they did – I knew right away what they were going to ask and I was able to let them know I just didn’t want my bread toasted. It didn’t take long for them to get my order out to me and I was able to find a seat upstairs with no problem. I was a little worried that it would be difficult to find a table as it looked pretty busy and most people send part of their families ahead to stake out a table while they order. I had a nice table next to a window and my food was very good. Of course I could only have a couple of bites of my dessert and I couldn’t finish my soda (I didn’t want to take it with me).

Jiko
OOP
Drink: *****
Service: ****
When I got back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but before picking Max up from Simba's Cubhouse, I went to the Victoria Falls Lounge to see if I could get the Chocolate Covered Cherry drink that is served at Jiko. I was told that the only place I could get it was at Jiko, but that I could just go into the bar there and get it, so off I went to Jiko. Man this drink is goooooood!!! I was glad I had it. It’s $9 and worth trying. Sorry I didn't take a picture, the presentation is great too and I wish I had a picture of it!!!

The Mara
1 CS Credit
Food: ***
Service: ****
We stopped at the Mara on the way back to our room because we still had so many meal credits left and I thought Max would eat some Pepperoni Pizza if I got it. I grabbed a Bottled Water, and Carrot & Celery Sticks w/Ranch Dip for “dessert” (I am still feeling vegetable deficient). We went back to the room and I had a piece of the pizza and some of the veggies, but Max really didn’t want any of it. He might want cold pizza for breakfast tomorrow though! I stuck it in the fridge to save for later. The pizza is very thin and square. It honestly wasn't very good. The crust itself was kind of like a flavorless cracker, the sauce wasn't anything special and there wasn't much topping... maybe 5 pieces of pepperoni and a thin layer of cheese. The veggies really hit the spot though, and the dip was really good!

Next up: Another breakfast from the Mara, Toy Story Pizza Planet, and The Hollywood Brown Derby.