A DREAM is a WISH your HEART makes ..... 18 days of Free Disney Dining! (with pix)

[RachaelRol]

Faulous report!!! So happy to hear about Ohana. We have an 8:30, reservation and I was hoping it wouldn't suck!!!

 

[SmallWorld71]

I just found your report and am only on page 11, but I just wanted to chime in and say that I love the Froggie pics and the food report is great too!

 

[MousekaMaddi]

lovely report, I read from start to end, yikes! great job!

 

[dizneeat]

Okay, finally, the next installment!

Aug 26 - Wolfgang Puck's Express (now, what else is new ), Riverside Mill and California Grill

Aug 26 was our moving day over to Universal Orlando. But no visit to WDW is complete without a visit to the California Grill, so we had a reservation for it for that particular evening.
But let's start at the beginning. We had packed all our stuff the night before and hauled it to the car around 10am. By 10.45 we were ready to leave. First we left our luggage with Bell Services, since we wanted to go to DTD and loads of luggage in a convertible are a no go for me. We then drove over to DTD to enjoy one last Wolfgang Puck's lunch before 4 days of Universal Food. We decided to share our orders. They were the Italian Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza with spinach and garlic-basil pesto sauce fresh thyme and chili flakes. Very tasty and LOADS of sausage!!

The second dish was the California Turkey Hoagie - house roasted all natural turkey breast layered with sun-dried tomato and artichoke heart salad, organic spinach and butter lettuce. Again a HUGE portion, but VERY good tasty. We enjoyed this very much, especially the home made chips that came with it.

For dessert we picked up two cookies, since the Creme Bruleè was not an option that day and they were out of brownies.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookie

Chocolate Chip Cookie

After browsing DTD again and picking up some more souvenirs we went back to the Riverside Mill to finally spend the last three of our snack credits. Spending these were the most work!

We got a magic cookie bar to take with us, a cold beverage - diet coke to share and an ice-cream sundae! This was a pleasant surprise as well, three scoops of ice-cream, whipped cream and mickey sprinkles and a cherry on top! It was really really good!

Then it was time to pick up our luggage and drive over to Universal Orlando.

To be continued .........
next up - dinner at the California Grill

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Great update!

You had more magic cookie bars than me . . . so unfair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Great update!

You had more magic cookie bars than me . . . so unfair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But you will get your next one in only 6 1/2 more months! I need to wait for 10 more months.

Oh, and by the way, we had even more magic cookie bars after we were done with Universal and went back to POP for more free dining!!

 

[Minnesota!]

I am LOVING this report! VERY well done!!!

 

[kid-at-heart]

You write so well and your pictures are great! May I ask, if it is not too personal, what do you do for a living in the real world? If this is too personal of a question, please ignore this post.

Kate

 

[MickeyNicki]

I cannot wait for your CG review, we are eating there for the first time in a few days!

 

[Redwitch]

What?? Frogs legs??? I don't think they serve them there... or else you'd be seeing a lot of frogs hopping their way out the main gate!!!

Dem legs ain't hoppin' over at Epcot. They be yummy buttery treats at Bistro de Paris!

Caught up tonight, keep it coming!​

 

[TwingleMum]

Karin~ (may I call you Karin??) Love your reviews. Your English is fabulous. I was lucky enough to visit Austria BC (before children) and was enchanted. Very beautiful country. I am guessing that "in real life" you are a teacher. Your posts are so well written and presented. Also I love that you travel to WDW with your brother. It gives me hope that someday my children may have that close a relationship right now their at the "he touched me.. he's looking at me .. I'm older than you ( yeah by a minute !! ) stage ) Love the photos . Its so nice to see what you are describing. What was your favorite dessert?? And favorite meal?? Thanks again for sharing Maureen

 

[DisneyJo]

Loving your reviews and your nightly visitor We were also at POR this August from 14th to the 28th

 

[dizneeat]

Nice pics... I so want to try WPE next time I'm in Disney!!

WPE is always a good choice!!

Just started reading this thread today...thanks so much for spending the time on this and all the great reviews and Austria, what a beautiful country, my wife and I have to make another visit someday.

Looking forward to your California Grill review - we'll be dining there on Oct 18th - always one of our favorite Disney places.

Glad you liked the reviews so far! And thanks for the on my home country!!
We just LOVE the California Grill!!!

Bummer of a waiter. Sheesh.

So sweet of you to reward the nicely behaved little girls. That will help them stay so nice! LOL

Glad the food was good, even if the waiter wasn't.

The waiter was a pain, but the girls were sooooo sweet, they made for the waiter!!!

loved that you treated the girls in the gift shop! when you get horrible service like that - do you tip less than usual??

We actually only tipped the 18% that were printed out on the receipt. We usually "round" up the 20% tip. But on this guy 18% were too much!

Your reviews are absolutely wonderful! I'm so glad I found them today. We're getting ready for our trip in November and I simply must try WPE. We've never eaten there but your reviews have sold me! Can't wait to hear the rest of your stories...

on WPE!! I will post more soon, we are only halfway through, LOL!

OMG, thanks for the frog warning.....EEEEEwwwwww.....

Glad I could help!!

You know the Podcast crew had dinner there around the same time you did and they had an awful experience with the server and the manager... they actually LEFT!!!

I think that that restaurant needs some help in the service dept. Glad the food was good though...

If this happens more often then they definitely need to do something about it! Such a waiter spoils the whole dinner!

Sounds like we had the same waiter at Captains Grill! Except when we had him he was soooo slow and kept forgetting things. We would ask where is this or that and everytime he would answer " Oh its the kitchens fault" or " Oh its so and sos fault". Never his. Very annoying to say the least.

Thats great about the girls and the "Dream" you bestowed upon them. See kids, behave. You never know whos watching and what good manners will get you .

I am so enjoying your report. Can't wait for your Universal report.

I can't believe it was not just Francesco's worst day! And if it wasn't him they have a serious problem with waiters!
I am glad you enjoy the reviews and Universal is coming up soon!

Too funny. I was in Linz and, of course, tried the Linzer torte but it was not my favourite. Too heavy and too much dough. I'm more a fan of the Sahne Creme stuff.
Had such a laugh over your description of Francesco - you're such a good writer considering English is your second language. The frog family was so cute they didn't look real. Reminded me of one of those German fairy stories with animals that talk etc.

These froggies definitely were real - but you are right I always expected them to "speak" too

As for the cake - I am not too big a fan of Linzertorte either. There is only one "Konditorei" where you can get a really good one , but I guess this would be more up your street - very yummy!

 

[dizneeat]

Oh my, that espresso looks like you could cut it with a knife....

It was quite good, just that there was absolutely no more crema! It had been sitting there too long.

Wow!!! I am so loving your food review that my family just got stuck eating leftovers for dinner so mommy could finish her "research"...
I just have one question;
Any chance of the next picture of an amphibian involving a plate and perhaps some melted butter?

No way my green friends would end up on a plate!!! The were friends - not food!!

What?? Frogs legs??? I don't think they serve them there... or else you'd be seeing a lot of frogs hopping their way out the main gate!!!

I could not have put it any better way!!!

It is so disappointing that you got a bad waiter, it spoils the experience doesn't it. Like you I love Wolfgang Puck Express and can't wait to be back there in December, we have also booked the upstairs Dining Room at the Cafe for Christmas Day, this will be a new one for us. Can't wait to read your Universal reviews. I am so, so hoping that the froggies at French Quarter don't feel the need to say either hello or goodbye to me, I so won't be offended by their lack of manners LOL

Please post a review of WPC!! I was thinking about it for our summer trip! Universal coming up soon. It is just hard to sneak DIS time in when I should be working!

wow thanks for your help

You are very welcome!

Loving your reviews and photo's, cant wait to see what is left!

Thank you! There is lots more left, like Beaches and Cream, Coral Reef, Narcossee's and Maya Grill! So don't go away!

Faulous report!!! So happy to hear about Ohana. We have an 8:30, reservation and I was hoping it wouldn't suck!!!

We loved Ohana and the food was very good and tasty! I hope you'll have a wonderful experience too!

I just found your report and am only on page 11, but I just wanted to chime in and say that I love the Froggie pics and the food report is great too!

Welcome Froggie friend!! I am glad you liked the reviews!!

lovely report, I read from start to end, yikes! great job!

Wow!! Thank you for reading and I am glad you enjoyed it!

 

[deanie]

I just love your dining reviews. I am really looking forward to the US reviews also. We have stayed at POR three times now but I don't recall ever seeing frogs. We did stay in the AB section so maybe the frogs like the fancier mansions!!

You had a long stay at WDW. How many times have you been? Were you able to get free dining for your whole stay? Thanks again for this very entertaining and informative review!

 

[adsrtw]

Wow, that sandwich looks yummy. Can't wait to hear about Cali Grill.

 

[Disneylove1228]

LOVE LOVE LOVE your report!!!!!!!!!! =] wow!!! amazing work and organization!! Can't wait to read the rest!! <33

 

[dizneeat]

I just realized I missed a few posts yesterday! Sorry!!!!!!

I am LOVING this report! VERY well done!!!

Thank you!

You write so well and your pictures are great! May I ask, if it is not too personal, what do you do for a living in the real world? If this is too personal of a question, please ignore this post.

Kate

No Kate, it is not too personal! I am a teacher at a secondary modern school and teach students from the age of 10 - 14.
And thank you for your compliments!!

I cannot wait for your CG review, we are eating there for the first time in a few days!

Review of CG coming right up! You are so going to like it there! If you stay for the fireworks use the back walkway over the Contemporary. It is far less crowded! The fireworks are just amazing from up there!

Dem legs ain't hoppin' over at Epcot. They be yummy buttery treats at Bistro de Paris!

Caught up tonight, keep it coming!​

NO yummy froggie legs!!! Remember Froggie is a friend, not food

Karin~ (may I call you Karin??) Love your reviews. Your English is fabulous. I was lucky enough to visit Austria BC (before children) and was enchanted. Very beautiful country. I am guessing that "in real life" you are a teacher. Your posts are so well written and presented. Also I love that you travel to WDW with your brother. It gives me hope that someday my children may have that close a relationship right now their at the "he touched me.. he's looking at me .. I'm older than you ( yeah by a minute !! ) stage ) Love the photos . Its so nice to see what you are describing. What was your favorite dessert?? And favorite meal?? Thanks again for sharing Maureen

Yes, you are very welcome to call me by my real name! Thank you for reading my reviews. And thanks for the on Austria! Well, you were right about me being a teacher and I love travelling with my brother. We have a lot of the same interests NOW - it was not quite the same when we were kids, LOL! So there is hope for your kids!
Since you asked about a favourite dessert and a favourite meal - I have to admit that whenever I think about a favourite several come to mind. I LOVED the Creme Bruleé at WPE, but I enjoyed the dessert at the California Grill also. As for favourite meals - California Grill is always a highlight. To me it always depends on the whole experience - so I would rate the upcoming second visit to Le Cellier as one of our trip's highlights.

Loving your reviews and your nightly visitor We were also at POR this August from 14th to the 28th

Glad you like my reviews. Where did you stay at POR? We were at Oak Manor.

I just love your dining reviews. I am really looking forward to the US reviews also. We have stayed at POR three times now but I don't recall ever seeing frogs. We did stay in the AB section so maybe the frogs like the fancier mansions!!

You had a long stay at WDW. How many times have you been? Were you able to get free dining for your whole stay? Thanks again for this very entertaining and informative review!

We have stayed at POR several times and NEVER came across a frog. Only this summer we met them every evening. Maybe because it was so moist and all the Hurricanes.

This was our 10th visit to WDW and actually one of the shorter ones. We usually stay at WDW for about 4 weeks. With the airfare getting higher and higher it makes no sense to go for 10 days. The only exception was our christmas trip last December, but I had to take unpaid leave and a week was more than enough. We had two different stays at WDW this summer and yes, we were on the free dining both times. The first stay Aug 14 - 26 we were lucky enough the be able to book on the British site and the second part, Aug 30 - Sept 5 we were on the bounceback free dining.
Actually we are already booked for next year on the bounceback free dining as well. If all works out the way we want it we will spend 10 days travelling California, then a week at Disneyland, fly to Orlando, go on our first Disney cruise, spend 4 nights at USO and another 10 nights at WDW. Only 302 more sleeps, !!!

Wow, that sandwich looks yummy. Can't wait to hear about Cali Grill.

That sandwich was sooooooooo good! I want one right now!

LOVE LOVE LOVE your report!!!!!!!!!! =] wow!!! amazing work and organization!! Can't wait to read the rest!! <33

Thank you!! Another installment coming right up!

 

[dizneeat]

Aug 26 - dinner at the California Grill and a very late night snack from the Earl of Sandwich

We arrived at Universal, had Bell Services take care of our luggage and went to check in. NO line - good!! We were checked in in no time, the girl checking us in took care of bell services and off we went to check out our room. What a nice surprise, it was a partial Theme Park view. We could see the signs at City Walk and the Islands of Adventures Lighthouse and even the Hulk! The room was perfect. Bell Services called and brought up our luggage, we settled in and went to pick up our free tickets (they came with the hotel deal) and went to the Water Taxi. We were lucky since it was already ready to leave when we arrived, but they let us hop on. We went to the Studios Part, since we wanted to try the new Simpsons ride. Using the Universal Express that comes with the stay at a Universal Hotel is the best benefit ever! So we rode a few rides before it was already time to get ready to leave for the California Grill.
We valet parked the car, what a nice treat that Free Valet Parking comes as a perk with the DDE, now TIW card. We signed in on the second floor and were taken up the restaurant a minute later. They had told us that they were running behind, so we took the opportunity to walk outside onto the walkways and take a few photos of the sunset.

About 10 minutes later our beeper went off and we were seated a table away from the window, but nevertheless with a wonderful view of the Magic Kingdom.

We ordered our drinks, diet cokes and a Whiskey Sour for Tom

and a Strawberry Daiquiri for me. I have had one at the CG before and they are so good!

We ordered a California Roll - Jumbo Lump Crab with Avocado and Cucumber as our starter to share and let me tell you - this was the BEST sushi we both ever had! It was out of this world good!

After we had finished it we had a brief conversation with our server and realized that we had had him before as our server. He is definitely one of the best they have!! He was so helpful throughout the meal and we had LOTS of fun.
Next he brought us some of their wonderful bread. I have read a few bad reports especially about the bread, but to us this bread comes close to the bread we have at home and it is so nice to have such bread for a change. It has a fairly crispy crust and is sourdough based.

He also brought out some olive oil for dipping. This is very strong olive oil the kind we use at home, so we LOVE dipping the bread into it.

It was now time to order our main courses. Tom had the Pacific Halibut with Red Pepper-Fennel Compote, Cranberry Bean Galette, Buerre Blanc, and Serrano Ham. He had had that before and it won hands down. It was as delish as the first time around. He definintely cleaned his plate!

I thought I'd try something new for a change and ordered the Roasted Lamb Tenderloin with Eggplant "two-ways", Rosemary Potatoes, Confit Garlic and Currant Tomatoes. Oh boy, was that the right choice. The meat was so moist and tender and so well seasoned and went so well with the eggplants! I enjoyed every little bite I took and cleaned my plate as well.

After our main course we needed some coffee to go with our desserts. So Tom ordered another espresso (which we forgot to take a photo of) and I had a cappuccino with cinamon on top. I swear, when it came out the cinamon looked like a hidden mickey

I am a chocolate lover, so I had to try the Chocolate Temptation Chocolate Pyramid with Chocolate Gelato, Berry Compote, and Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch. It was all that it said in its name. Pure chocolate temptation! Chocolate HEAVEN! So good, but so very rich! I LOVED it!!!!!

Tom wanted to try the Peachy Keen Peach Cheesecake, Bellini "Bubble Tea", Spiced Tea Cake with Vanilla Creme Glace. It came on a long square plate and was so good (yes, we try each other's food, ).

This is the Peach Cheesecake

the Bellini "Bubble Tea", which had some fruit in it

and the Spiced Tea Cake with Vanilla Creme Glace.

We finished our desserts about 5 minutes before the fireworks were going to start and thought that there was not enough time to pay and then go out to watch the fireworks, but our server made sure we went out and enjoyed the fireworks before we settled the bill.

After the fireworks we came back and our table was cleared, glasses refilled and soon after our waiter returned with the bill. We paid, tipped well and left him one of the Disneyland Paris pins we always carry for Cast Members who are outstanding. This is when he realized HE knew US too! He actually told us off for not letting him know that we had been seated in his part before and told us to just ask for being seated in his part when we were coming back in September. It was such a wonderful and fun experience!

We then went down, picked up the car and went back to Universal.
Back at the room we discovered that we had had turndown service and that they had left two bottles of Fiji Water (they sell them at $3 a bottle) with the service.

Tom than had to finish off a sandwich from the Earl of Sandwich which we had purchased with our last CS credit. It was the The Original 1762 - fresh roasted beef, cheddar and creamy horseradish sauce. We got a cookie with it, but I forgot to take a photo of it as well.

We both fell into bed, it had been a really long day. And only 4 more nights until our friends Mary Ellen and Joe were to join us for another round of free dining.

To be continued ........
Next up - Island dining room, Bubba Gump and "Hot Now" Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

 

[jeminni]

looking forward to the Bubba Gump review. That sushi looked magnificent.