9 meals, 6 snacks and 1 vegetarian, 4 days of platinum dining

[hpfan100]

After all that time in the tanks it was time to eat. I headed to my car and drove to DTD for my ressie at Portobello. I wished I had looked up the location before I got there so I could I parked in a better location. OH WELL...

I was seated right away in a nice quiet area. It was early for dinner and late for lunch so the place was pretty empty. The staff was eating together in the back of the dining area which was kinda nice to see.

up first the appetizer...I got the caprese salad. It was decent but I'm a big fan of cheese and tomatoes. The tomatoes were a little underripe but otherwise it was yummy.

I also had some little rolls with olive oil. They were ok...a little firm but tasty none the less. WOW this is a terrible picture...looks like the rolls are trapped in a wind storm.

For the entree I selected the giant ravioli. It was filled with spinach and ricotta cheese covered in a nice marinara sauce. I ate the middles only of the noodles and was happy with the food.

for dessert I got the chocolate cake to go...OMG!!!! It was awesome! The crust was a cookie and the cake part was chocolate mouse. It was very lovely and I am not a big chocolate eater. This was the best part of the meal by far. Oh dear no picture to show the glory of this little cake.


Overall Portobello was a decent choice. The food was average kinda similar to Olive Garden. Service was excellent and the DTD location is good for non park days.


After dinner I headed over to see La Nouba. With voucher in hand I headed to the box office only to be told I didn't have a ticket for the 6 pm show but I did have one for the 9 pm show. I asked what she could do for me and she spoke to another worker and was able to get me into the 6 pm show. I was given only one choice for a seat. It was in the very back row middle section. I wasn't impressed with the seat or the show or the 400 tour group attendees. I ducked out about 20 minutes before the show was over to head to Citrico's and the wishes cruise.

up next Citrico's AKA the 60 dollar meal I don't eat...

 

[disnut1149]

Hi
Can't wait for more reviews!! I surprised my DH with the Wishes cruise for his birthday and it was so much fun. We met up with other Disers. Can't wait to hear about your cruise. Thanks!

 

[hpfan100]

Hi
Can't wait for more reviews!! I surprised my DH with the Wishes cruise for his birthday and it was so much fun. We met up with other Disers. Can't wait to hear about your cruise. Thanks!

Oh the cruise was soooooo much fun!

 

[hpfan100]

So after I left LA Nouba a few minutes early I drove over the the Grand Floridian. First of all geez that parking lot is far from things. Second, WOW is this place swanky. They had a band playing in the lobby which was very beautiful. Concierge was helpful giving directions and tips.

Here's a few pics of the grounds and such:

It had been kinda of a rough day with all the mix ups at La Nouba and since I was going to be at the Grand for awhile I decided to splurge and get a margarita. I believe this was a wild berry one. Totally yummy and expensive.

For the bread service there was a loaf of olive type bread and sea salt butter. It was nice. Probably the best part of the meal. I had one slice.

For my appetizer I had the mascerated tomatoes. It was decent but nothing to brag about. It was cherry tomatoes cut in half with a balsamic glaze drizzled over top. It had some mozzarella cheese and arugula with it. I ate all the cheese and tomatoes.

For the entree I ordered the only vegetarian meal listed. I asked the server if this was the only veggie meal and she said yes. It was seared tofu and veg which sounded divine. But alas it was terrible. The tofu texture was way off and the veggies were overcooked or undercooked and the sauce was a pathetic mix of onions and tomatoes. I had a few bites and was done. The server asked if I wanted something else instead which I thought was odd since there wasn't anything else on the menu??? Then she told me next time I should have veggie on my reservations so then the chef could have made me a custom meal. REALLY??!! Isn't that what the IPO was supposed to do....Anywho I'm getting off track here.

For dessert I tried the berry gratin. I thought it would be similar to a cobbler or crumble...Not!! It was fresh berries smothered in a egg sauce. OMG...disgusting. The berries were yummy but most of them were coated with the sauce so I wasn't able to eat them.


This meal was a huge disappointment. I will not eat here again. Perhaps if you are a carnivore the options will suit you better. Service was good and the location is very nice.

 

[hpfan100]

After dinner, I walked around the grand floridian and looked at the lobby and grounds. It was a nice place. Totally out of my price range but nice none the less. Then I headed to the boat dock. I got there around 9:15 and was seated on a the pontoon boat. There was one other party on the boat- a mother and her 6 year old daughter. They were also on the platinum plan. We cruised around the lake and lagoon area. The captain was knowledgeable and we learned many things about the resorts and grounds. We got to see the Water Parade up close. AWESOME!!!!

Then we parked up by the MK to watch wishes. The music was pumped in and we had a nice view of the fireworks. After the show he drove us back to the Grand Floridian and I headed back to the car for the drive back to AKL. This one of my most favorite things I did at WDW. The cruise was relaxing, fun and informative. IT's a great way to spend an evening. I would do this again in a heartbeat.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I'm sorry you had a bad meal at Citricos! That's always been one of my favorites!

 

[hpfan100]

I'm sorry you had a bad meal at Citricos! That's always been one of my favorites!

it's all good...one bad meal isn't too bad considering how many places I went too.

 

[hpfan100]

Well here we are at the final day of my platinum adventure...

I woke up bright and early, packed myself up and headed to the car. I drove to my 9 am appointment for parasailing. Something I was really looking forward too. My appointment wasn't on file so I had to wait until 10 to go. Frustrating. but I survived. While I waited I called the IPO office over at AKL and had a long talk with the manager. She was very nice and listened to all my concerns. Anywho...once I got to parasail it was awesome!!!!!! Might have been the highlight of the trip. I was nervous at first and had to get used to the sensation of floating up there but WOW WOW WOW...the views and the quiet...almost a sense of peace up there. I wish I had taken my camera up with me for photos. This is something I would totally do again.


Up next...emergency breakfast at The Wave

 

[hpfan100]

After parasailing I was starving so I headed to the wave without a res and was seated right away. It was still early enough so I was able to order the famous sweet potato pancakes. YUMMY!!!!!

It comes with a side of bacon which the substituted with a fruit cup for me. I was a happy little clam. I ate almost everything. I even got an iced tea to go with me.

 

[hpfan100]

I still had one meal credit to use and two snacks credits to burn before my flight home. I headed to Sanaa for my 1:00 res. I was seated right away. the location is beautiful. I was seated near the animal viewing window but not close enough to really watch them while eating. That was kinda disappointing since the place wasn't very crowded but oh well.

Since I wasn't very hungry I just got an appetizer and dessert. Both were yummy! I would eat here again.

here is a picture of the salad sampler---the beets were fabulous!!! I choose the Watermelon, cucumber and fennel, Roasted Beets and Bhel Puri salads. The first two I preferred over the last but all were nice.

I choose the Banana Kulfi Sundae for dessert. It's like a banana split African style. YUMMY!!!!! I could have eaten two of those.

I cruised the gift shops at AKL and found some great ways to spend my last two snack credits. I got Mickey mouse shaped licorice and Chip and Dale trail mix. I believe both of these treats were 5 dollars a bag. Great use of a credit. I actually took the licorice to DL for my BF birthday and we enjoyed munching on it over the weekend.

WOW sorry about all these blurry photos...my camera isn't that great anymore.

 

[hpfan100]

Overall I think the platinum plan was a good choice for me on this trip. I enjoyed all the tours and activities. I loved almost all the meals and snacks. It was nice to not have to worry about being hungry, budget, cost of individual items or such.
I did have numerous problems with my plan and spent many hours at the front desk and other places dealing with the errors.


The platinum plan cost me 239 a night so 717 total. I ordered 373.25 dollars of food at meals, refillable mug and in snacks. I enjoyed 702 dollars worth of tours/activities. The cruise was 350. So a grand total of 1425.25. Nice I came ahead.

My total bill was 2100 dollars for the plan, 4 day ticket, and 3 nights in a savannah view room.

I would consider this plan again for a special event/occasion but I would not rely on the IPO for anything unless I had too.


Thanks for hanging with me through this memory lane of the platinum plan!!!!