A semi-4 generational trip 8/6-8/12

[WDWAurora]

First of all, to answer what I believe is a question that is bound to come up: Yes, we are a little insane. Clearly, or we wouldn't be going to WDW with such a wild crew. Now, on to introductions.

First, you have me. I'm 29 and have been to WDW on over 30 trips. I'm the planner, and I'm also the one that "forced" this trip. I knew we needed a vacation, and, following the loss of my mother in May of this year, I really wanted to have an escape vacation, and that's why I knew I had to go to WDW. So...I figured out how to make the financing and timing work, and pretty much made up DH's mind for him. Mean old me making him go to WDW. I'm a school psychologist and just started working the school year instead of all year, so loving having some planned time off during the summer.

That brings us to DH. He's also 29, and he's an engineer. He works really hard and has a pretty high stress job, so he also needed a vacation. His problem is that he gets very anxious about DS and what he can and can't do.

DS is a 15month old bundle of fun. He's loud, energetic, and super charming. He flirts constantly. We are absolutely enamored with him. Because of my mom getting ill and our spending more time at my dad's house, he hasn't been on any vacations. He has only spent the night at home and at my dad's, so vacation is definitely a new experience for him, and traveling with a little one is a new experience for all of us.

So there's the first 2 generations. Then we add my dad, and my grandmother. That's where we hit the "semi" part of the semi-4 generational trip. My grandmother is actually my mother's mother, my dad's mother-in-law. It definitely complicates matters with the rooming situation, as they clearly aren't sharing. Because of that, we had 3 rooms-one for us, one for dad, and one for grandmother. Because of her surgeries, she requires a walker (and should probably use a wheelchair or ECV, but is much too stubborn).

We arrived separately for this trip, as DH and I flew down with DS, and my dad and grandmother drove down from across NC.

As this trip began, we had the following ADRs:
8/7 - Le Cellier (Lunch)
8/8 - Crystal Palace (Dinner)
8/9 - Wolfgang Puck Cafe (Dinner)
8/10 - California Grill (Dinner)
8/11 - Biergarten (Dinner)

As you will soon see, there are some changes to this plan to come. Coming up next will be details of our arrival day and the beginning of the reviews!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I'm in!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

I'm in!

 

[Tinker12]

Can't wait!!

 

[WDWAurora]

I figured I should include a complete list of all of the restaurants that will be reviewed, basically in order. Some other things will be thrown in, but these are the basics:

Wolfgang Puck Express (x2)
Le Cellier (lunch)
Pecos Bill
Whispering Canyon Cafe (dinner)
Flame Tree Barbecue
Wolfgang Puck Cafe
Backlot Express
California Grill
Sunshine Seasons
Everything POP Food Court

Now, for a little more background on our crew, we are probably not what would be described as foodies. None of us eat any seafood at all, and we're perfectly happy with most chain restaurants. We don't tend to eat out at the trendier places, as we are fairly basic eaters. We got pics of a few of our meals, but not too many. Now...on to the trip!!

We flew out of NC around 11am on 8/6. We landed around 12:30 at MCO after a fairly rough flight in terms of DS's behavior. Let's just say he's not a huge fan of flying. After flying with him, we're not sure we're fans of flying, either. Anyway, food was needed before we headed to the ME. The closest food court area had a McDonald's, and we grabbed that out of desperation. I had chicken nuggets and fries (shared with DS) and DH had one of the angus burgers. Everything was typical McDonald's. DS did finally start eating, which made him a little more pleasant to be around. The ME ride on the other hand...let's just leave it there, since this is a dining review!!

After checking in at POP and putting down our carryons, we headed for the bus to DTD. Our plan for dinner was Wolfgang Puck Express. We have had very good meals there over the years, and it tends to be one of our standards. When we got in, DH quickly decided on the bacon wrapped meatloaf, and I got the Pennate Chicken Alfredo, knowing DS would eat the pasta, if nothing else. For dessert, DH ordered a brownie, as he doesn't do dairy, but they were out, so he ended up with a cookie. I got the creme brulee, which will be a theme throughout the week.

We found a great table and seated ourselves. I had the tropical tea to drink, which I love, but I, as a true southern girl, wish it came pre-sweetened. DH had a soda. After being seated, our food arrived promptly. It was very hot and fresh. My pasta had penne noodles, chicken, peas, and a little crunchy bacon scattered on top. It was great! DS has never had alfredo sauce, but he loved it! He gobbled up the pasta I gave him, and handed me back the peas I gave him. HA! I don't really like peas either. DH's meatloaf was really good, and I can't say we're the type to get meatloaf somewhere other than our house. I do have pics of these meals that I'll add in a bit, as the pics are taking FOREVER to download to my computer. My creme brulee was good, but needed to be a bit more firm for my taste.

Overall, WPE was a hit, as always. We will definitely be back (and did go back the next night). I have never had a meal there I didn't like, and this one proved to be no exception.

After finishing dessert and shopping a bit, we hopped back on the bus to meet my dad and grandmother who had arrived at POP while we were out. They ate dinner at the foodcourt at POP. All I know is that they had Chinese and that it was fine. They didn't seem thrilled with it.

Up next: Our first day in the parks, at Epcot! Le Cellier and another WPE experience.

 

[WDWAurora]

I'm in!

I'm in!

Can't wait!!

WOOHOO, I'm not writing this just for myself! Hopefully I'll get it all finished by Thursday, when I have to go back to work!

 

[tortoni]

Looking forward to your reviews.

 

[WDWAurora]

Let's see if these pics work:

My Chicken Alfredo:

DH's Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf:

Ok, they don't. I'll try to get that figured out, but in the meantime, I'm starting the next post.

 

[hotveggy]

I remember you from the ttc board. Can't believe your ds is 15 mos already!
You are braver than I am- I can't wait to take my girls to wdw but I am scared!

 

[WDWAurora]

I remember you from the ttc board. Can't believe your ds is 15 mos already!
You are braver than I am- I can't wait to take my girls to wdw but I am scared!

I can't believe he is, either! Crazy how time flies!!

 

[WDWAurora]

I can't believe he is, either! Crazy how time flies!!

Ok, on to our first park day. My dad and grandmother grabbed pastries using snack credits at the POP food court (if I didn't mention it, we did the dining plan-the basic one with 1 CS and 1 TS). DH and I did cereal bars from home. We headed out fairly early for Epcot, and made it right at rope drop. After hitting a few rides with DS (his first rides! Very exciting!), we made our way over to Le Cellier.

We were a few minutes early for our ADR and there were only a couple of other groups there, as the restaurant hadn't opened yet. We were scheduled right at 11:30. We waited a few minutes and the waiting area started getting fairly crowded. Then, it started seeming like EVERY member of the waitstaff was coming in, too. It was insanely packed! Now, I don't have issues with crowds, but this was getting a little ridiculous. Finally, the last member of the wait staff must have finally made it up there and they sang the Canadian national anthem. It was actually very nice. After that, it seemed like everyone was seated, and we were still sitting there. FINALLY, we were seated. I was able to order a Red Maple for my drink, which was really nice, especially on such a hot day! DS enjoyed the sips I gave him, as well (since it was so hot, I literally allowed him to drink anything he wanted, including from our sodas-anything to keep him hydrated!).

I ordered the mushroom filet, as I'm a mushroom fanatic anyway. DH and my dad ordered the NY strip, although my dad subbed his mashed potatoes for potato salad. My grandmother did the prix fixe menu (did I spell that right?) and ordered some kind of sausage skillet appetizer, the steak and potatoes skillet, and the chocolate moose for dessert. For our other desserts, we had 2 creme brulees and one sorbet. We added on a side of macaroni and cheese to be sure DS had enough to eat. Our bread came out first, and was really good. I was a little surprised at the mix, though. They brought 1 wheat roll. Really? 1, for 4 people? A little odd. I think we had maybe 2 sourdough and 3 pretzel bread sticks. I tried the sourdough and pretzel, and really liked both.

Grandmother's appetizer came out first. I'm not really sure why she ordered it, as she doesn't care for sausage, and has difficulty eating spicy foods. She ended up giving it to DH because she couldn't eat it. DH liked it. Our steaks were great! The mushroom filet and risotto were absolutely perfect. I have heard the risotto is a little salty, and it probably is, but I like salty foods, so it was perfect for me. DH and my dad enjoyed their NY strip steaks and said they were extremely tender. DH's potatoes were good, and dad did like the potato salad, which was more of a German style. Grandmother's was unremarkable.

Now, the macaroni side we ordered for DS...The waitress really talked it up. I was excited. Baked with panko bread crumbs on top? Sounds delicious! In reality? Flavorless. Now, DS ate it, as he'll eat noodles, no matter the preparation. What he ate was all that was consumed, however, and it was kind of a waste. We didn't order anything especially for him the rest of the trip. Considering my plate wasn't loaded with food, though, I'm surprised I didn't eat more of it. It was just blah.

On to dessert! Grandmother's moose was adorable, and she gobbled it up, with the exception of the cookie antlers, which DS ate. Our creme brulees were, again, just ok. I knew going in that I'm not a fan of maple. I eat it, I like maple syrup, but I prefer straight up creme brulee. DH's sorbet was also fine. Not exciting, but his non-dairy options were limited.

I'll throw in that the restroom facilities are pretty nice at Le Cellier. DS needed to be changed twice while we were there, so I got a good look at the bathroom!

Oh, and another side note...A man and his wife/girlfriend were eating beside us wearing matching kilts. My 81 year old grandmother, who has lost all sense of tact, kept talking about the man in his skirt sitting beside us. We were hoping he wouldn't hear her! It was a little embarrassing but pretty funny!

Coming up soon-Our second dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express!!

 

[candy0730]

Great reviews so far! Can't wait to read the rest.

 

[WDWAurora]

We left the parks after venturing in the extreme heat around to Mexico, then to China (skipping Norway) where we stopped for LARGE sodas. We needed them! It was so insanely hot. We went to Germany. DH's family is German (his father was actually adopted from Germany, so he's technically 1st generation born in America), so he enjoys the culture. He had to buy a stein, as he has started collecting them. Our crew was just too hot to continue, so we hopped on the Friendship boat and rode back to the other side and headed for the gates.

After resting back at POP for a while, we were ready to think about dinner. Dad and Grandmother were disappointed to have missed WPE the night before, and we all needed a little DTD shopping time, so...we headed over. Three of us were in the mood for pizza, so Dad & Grandmother had pepperoni, and I had pepperoni and mushroom. DH had the rotisserie chicken. I was extremely impressed by the pizzas! They were absolutely delicious. There was some chopped red pepper on them, and a really flavorful sauce. And, unlike some pizzas, the toppings were right, percentage-wise. I could seriously go for one right now. I haven't ordered pizza there before, as I used to always order the BBQ chicken quesadilla, then started ordering pasta. Now I'm going to have a hard time NOT ordering pizza!

DH's chicken was good. It was the normal WP rotisserie chicken, like what is, or used to be, served at Wolfgang Puck Cafe. I can't eat it because of the rosemary (I think I'm allergic) but DH liked it, but liked the mashed potatoes more. For desserts, Dad and I had creme brulee (again, a theme), while grandmother had frozen yogurt and DH had another cookie. Nothing too exciting, although I will say that the creme brulee was the right degree of firm this time.

After some shopping (hello lots of soap from Basin) we headed back to the hotel to get DS to bed.

Up next: Park day 2, Magic Kingdom, and our first change of dining plans

 

[phabric]

I have enjoyed reading your reviews. Keep it up.

 

[butiflfeet]

Great reviews so far! I can't wait for more!

 

[WDWAurora]

On to MK!! The morning just did NOT go my way. Well, at first. I'm big on being there at opening, and I wanted to put DS on Dumbo immediately. Well, despite being up early enough, one thing after another delayed us, and we didn't end up getting there until after RD. Then, DH and I were lured into the Mickey meet by the CM screaming that there was only a 5 min wait to meet Mickey. Let me just say-SHE LIED. We waited about 10 until DS flipped out, and then I ran with him to the Main Street Bakery for milk. He was READY. I asked the lady at the door to be 100% sure they had it, and she let me in without making me go through the line, since what I needed was at the end. WONDERFUL! A minute later, while I was waiting to pay, she got my attention and told me my husband was outside. DH never spoke to her, so we don't know how she knew he belonged to me, but it was nice of her. We checked out quickly, and all was well in our world again. GREAT service from the CMs at the bakery, though.

We were able to catch several rides before lunch. Unfortunately, I think I was running the adult portion of my crew ragged, so they were starting to claim hungry and tired. We were near Pinocchio Village Haus and Columbia Harbor House, but neither menu was appealing to my crew. The men wanted burgers! We nearly always go to Cosmic Rays, but, for something different, my goal was to get us to Pecos Bill's. Off we went!

DH and I got to Pecos Bill's before Dad and Grandmother. We went ahead and ordered, he got the deluxe burger and I got the taco salad. DH left to find seating with DS. Well, our food came, and I was shocked to see that my salad was meat in the bottom of a taco shell. Everything else I was to add on my own at the toppings bar. Not a problem, but definitely a little shocking!! I headed off to find the boys, and DH had found a nearby table, but the seats were backless (as per the craziness of a year or so ago). Well, I remembered reading that there was still an area of the restaurant with seat backs on another dining review, so I looked and could see the area through the one DH was sitting in, so we headed up there.

It was great! We walked up the ramp and there were maybe 4 people up there. There was a small bar with plasticware, napkins, and condiments, and I found an area with plenty of high chairs. We were set. I went back and added sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, cheese sauce, shredded cheese, salsa, etc. to my salad. Sour cream had been on my tray. My salad was great! I will definitely be back for more, and my sister-in-law is going for one next month based on how much I liked it. DH liked his burger, but was slim on the details. DS liked his fries, and parts of my salad. Dad also had the burger, and Grandmother had the pork. She didn't really care for it.

As I said, I loved my salad. Unfortunately, dessert is where I feel Pecos Bill needs improvement. Dad had chocolate cake, DH had carrot, and Grandmother and I had strawberry yogurt. The cakes were just not appealing for some reason. Maybe a brownie or a cookie? Something that doesn't look like it came out of a hospital cafeteria? Maybe it's just us. Other than the BBQ sandwich and desserts, everything else was a hit. We hadn't been here in years, and it was a nice change. I think we'll definitely go back on future trips.

Now, our group was beginning to tire out after this, especially since we had monsoon style rains shortly after lunch. I ran from the covered area at Pirates across to Tortuga Tavern for more milk for DS, which was fairly easy, although a young girl grabbed the milk from the server, which annoyed me. I'd prefer strangers not handle my food, even though it was closed. I don't understand why her parents let her, or why the CM didn't let me get it, since she could see me reaching for it. Anyway. Basically, our group wasn't going to make it until our ADR at Crystal Palace. So, on our way out, I stopped through Guest Relations to see if I could find something else. I was looking for something at a resort, since we needed something easier to access for my grandmother's sake. I had read enough to know that Whispering Canyon and Ohana would likely be good fits, as they are noisy and have fairly basic food. While Ohana didn't have anything available, WCC did, so we went back to the hotel for some rest and then headed out later for our first trip to WCC!

Back with more later!

 

[WDWAurora]

We headed for the Wilderness Lodge a little less than an hour before our ADR. We arrived pretty quickly, despite having no real idea where we were going. We parked and walked in. We *should* have dropped my grandmother off at the door, because the walk in was fairly rough for her. We were a little early, so we walked around. Well, DH, DS, and I did. Dad and grandmother hung out in the waiting area with our pager, which actually went off several minutes before 5 (when the restaurant opened). We were seated and had our drink orders taken quickly.

Now, I have read about WCC for years. I know about all of the stunts, and I did warn the group a little. I will say that, since we were early, the stunts were a little muted, but I'll get to that a little later. We decided on 3 skillets (DH, Grandmother, and me) and a meatloaf (Dad). Our salad and cornbread came quickly. I'm a country girl who doesn't do cornbread, but the others seemed to like it. The salad I did eat, but...WOW-that dressing is sweet! My grandmother liked it, but Dad and I didn't care for it (DH doesn't eat salad-it has veggies in it).

Our food came out pretty quickly. Now, Dad was warned about the ketchup and he wasn't thrilled, but he definitely wanted ketchup for his meatloaf. Luckily we had seen the previous table to get their food ask, and there were only like 5 bottles. So...Dad asked. It was only those few bottles. A few minutes later, Dad actually seemed to enjoy taking all but one bottle to another table, and later on, I took his remaining bottle to another table. Fun! Very silly, but fun. Now, on to our food. Dad liked his meatloaf, but didn't find it to be anything outstanding.

The skillet was really good! I was worried about the quality based upon some reviews I had seen. Now, we didn't love everything. The brisket was bad. Just bad. No flavor, kind of dry, just blah. The pulled pork was a little fatty. The ribs were GREAT! The chicken was delicious. Both seemed to have a spice we couldn't place, but one that we associate with Christmas on them. We liked the potatoes and beans-DS really liked the beans! I didn't eat the corn, but it was pretty standard. I would definitely order the skillet again if we go back.

Dessert will follow in the next post!!

 

[WDWAurora]

I was just reviewing the WCC menu here on the DIS and realized that it listed sausage in the skillet instead of brisket. I'm not sure if that's a recent change, or if it changes frequently. The menu was updated last month, so I'm not sure. We definitely had brisket and no sausage. Also, I forgot about the cole slaw. I'm not a huge fan overall, but this cole slaw suited my tastes fairly well. It was very creamy. For dessert, I had the S'more's cheesecake, which was pretty good, as did my dad. I can't remember what the other two had. We did request our desserts to go, and this was not a problem. It enabled us to get DS out of the restaurant before he got too impatient.

DH and I took DS around and took a few more pictures of him, then we all headed back to the resort.

Up next: AK-Are we really only through day 2?

 

[WDWAurora]

Ok, so on Tuesday we headed to AK. Well, we could tell after a few minutes that rain was heading our way. Unfortunately, it rained most of the day. After exploring for a while, we ended up hanging out in a store until enough time had passed to eat lunch. We were directly across from Flame Tree, which we didn't really want, because we had just had barbecue the night before, but, with my grandmother and the rain, we just weren't willing to venture further.

DS was asleep at this point and missed lunch. DH had the pork sandwich, and I had the ribs. Both were really good. I like ribs with a rub as opposed to a sauce. Our entrees came with beans, which were pretty good, but I would have preferred fries or onion rings, which weren't available as substitutes. We were told this would be changing by the end of the month. Dad also had the ribs, and my grandmother wasn't very hungry, so she just ordered onion rings. She was a little frustrated that she couldn't get her onion rings with the dining plan. It was hard to explain to her why that wasn't possible, especially since they were a lot cheaper than the meals. Oh well. She just paid for her drink and onion rings. I think we all had key lime pie mousse for dessert (except Grandmother). I liked it a lot! Different presentation, while still having the good taste.

As we were finishing our meal, with the rain pouring down around us, a CM came down to our area and had 4 cupcakes on a plate. He told us Cinderella had dropped them off for us. Unfortunately, none of us wanted them, but we didn't want to be rude and refuse them! My grandmother wanted to give them to people sitting around us, but I know I wouldn't accept a cupcake from a stranger, so we tried to convince her to stop asking everyone. It was a sweet gesture from the CM (or someone), but kind of silly since we had the DDP and got dessert.

We headed back to POP for a swim (yes, in the rain-it wasn't storming) and then got ready to head over to Wolfgang Puck Cafe for dinner. DS, unfortunately, needed another nap. So...he fell asleep in the car on the way to DTD. Typically, when I get him out of the car, he wakes up immediately. Not this time! He was out on my shoulder. DH was having to walk right next to us with the umbrella over us to try to get us to WPC without getting soaked. Kind of funny! We got in and were seated fairly quickly.

Now, I do have a vent about getting seated at WPC. My grandmother, as stated before, is reliant on a walker. The ramp in WPC to reach the seating area is kind of under the stairs and in a narrow corridor used by the servers for various things. It makes getting down there kind of difficult because you have to get everyone to clear out.

To add to that vent, when we checked in, we were asked if we needed a high chair. When we were seated, there was no high chair. I reminded the waiter when he came to the table (DS was still sleeping on me, but I knew he would be up soon) and he said he was bringing one. We didn't end up getting one until well after DS had woken up. Why bother asking me when we check in if you're not going to give us one?

Wow, I have a lot of vents about this experience, especially given how much I like it there!! One more-we didn't get the flat bread, which is one of our favorite things about eating at WPC. When I asked, I was told it wasn't finished baking but would be out soon. Our waiter came by a few minutes later and told us it was almost up. Yeah, we never got any flat bread.

Ok, on to the food. Now, we *LOVE* the macadamia nut crusted chicken. DH and I didn't even look at the menu. My grandmother ordered it, as well. My dad ordered the steak frites. Well, the chicken...LOVE the chicken, love the sauces, love the potatoes! Absolutely delicious. Perfectly prepared. Dad enjoyed his steak, and ended up giving DS a lot, especially since it dawned on us that serving our young child food that had touched macadamia nuts when we weren't 100% sure of allergies while on vacation wasn't a great idea. DS LOVED the steak. I think he's going to be a steak man, for sure. He just kept eating it!!

Now, for dessert, I would typically get the key lime pie, but I had ordered that for lunch. So...I tried the chocolate lava cake, as did my dad. It was good, but very rich. The ice cream definitely helped tone it down. Yummy! I could go for some now. I can't remember the desserts the other two ordered, but we all enjoyed our food and dessert here. Our complaints here are really minor, overall, even though there were several. They were not significant enough to keep us from returning.

We did have sort of an odd experience while dining. Two families were seated at the same table behind us. Each got up and left a minute or so after being seated. I'm not sure either of them even ordered drinks. These were larger parties-probably about 8 in the first and 6 in the second. Now, I'm not sure if they came in and were scared off by the menu prices or what. Given that it's posted outside, I just don't get it! It was so weird since it was the same table, 2 parties in a row.

Up next: Park day 4, MGM (Yes, I know I'm supposed to call it Hollywood Studios) Lunch at Backlot Express, and dinner at California Grill

 

[butiflfeet]

I'm excited to hear about your meal at California Grill! We have an ADR there for our anniversary in October and I can't wait! Our meals there have always been highlights of our past trips