A Very Mery Christmas dxdp review-update 4/22

[Tonyslady]

Ok so i started this on Word before our trip but just never got around to posting it. But i'm going to go ahead and post it now and continue with the dining review.

Hi All and welcome!

First the when and where
We will fly out the morning of dec 19th check into AoA for one night and then move over to AKV kidani 2br savanah view where we stay untill the 26th. Then head back home late that afternoon.

second, the who:
Lets start with me, I'm Jodi I a sahm and proud army wife. Dh and i have 4 kids who keep me very busy. I am the planner of the group. I have arranged and rearranged this trip several times driving my dh batty. I am a pretty adventurous eater and love to try new things. The food i'm most looking forward to this trip would have to be Via Napoli for the pershuto and melon pizza...i know sounds weird right...but oh so yummy. Oh and don't forget the dole whip float...mmmmm.

Next is my Dh The Tony in "tonyslady" He loves disney but would wait till the last minute to plan everything. He would probably love going without any adr's at all and take what we can get when we get there. (the thought of which freaks me out a little) He is definitly not picky and will eat pretty much anything i put in front of him. Food he is most looking forward to....hmm i'm not really sure Probably something sweet.

Then we have My oldest dd, Cara. Cara will be 17 this month. Unlike your typical teenager she still thinks mom is pretty cool... dad on the other hand...well he likes to embarrass her. She loves that when we are at disney she can eat pretty much anything she wants. Again she's not picky really but def has things she likes... She loves a good burger. The food she's looking forward to most is the mushroom soup from artist point and a hamburger from t-rex or beaches and cream.

Next is my oldest ds, Xander. Xander is 11yo He is probably the most willing to try new things. He's the one i could probably talk into trying escargot or frog legs or something like that. He is also getting to that age where he's always hungry I'm not sure where he puts it all, maybe a hallowed out leg or something. Another one i'm not real sure what he's looking forward to....I think he's just looking forward to eating as much as he can.

Then there is My 7yo dd, Maegan. Maegan is my princess. she loves all things disney and can't wait to go back. She's probably the pickiest of the bunch...we'll probably see a lot of hamburgers or pasta from her. The meal she's looking forward to the most is the watermelon and salmon from artist point.

The last of my crew is Nathan. Nathan is 4yo and my happy go lucky child. He recently told me that he has grown enough and is going to stay little forever. He will eat anything...There have only been one or two things that he has ever turned down. I'm sure he'll love eating all the sweets and deserts...as far as looking forward to something...well he doesn't really remember his last trip so we'll have to wait and see what he likes this time around.

Also Joining us on this trip is Gma and Gpa. Dh's parents. This will be their first time to Disney (land or world) I really wanted to give them a great experience at the same time letting them know that with the crowd levels we can't expect to do everything.


Now for the why:
I have been planning this trip since this time last year...yeah i know it's a long time to be planning a trip. But it really is what got me through the holidays last year.. you see my mom passed away the previous aug. Christmas was her thing. She always made a big deal out of it...When we were home it was chaotic and noisy and well Home. And when we weren't home, more often then not with dh in the army, She would always send big boxes full of treats and goodies. she'd make each family their own Christmas cd and send recipes of new cookies she'd baked that year. Well last year, Our first year without her, i knew it would be the hardest , I decided that this year i was going to disneyworld for christmas...and that's when i started planning...it was the planning and scheming that made those holidays a little easier.

Ok so here's the plan

Day 1 Arival day
dinner either dtd or AOA

Day 2 MK
b- Kona
L- ???
d- LTT

Day 3 EP
b Akershus
L ??
D- Via Napoli

Day 4 rest/dtd
B- 1900PF
L- ???
D- Raglan road

Day 5 AK
B- Tuskar House
L- ???
D- Narcosese

Day 6 HS
B- ???
L- H&V
D- HBD

Day 7 Christmas day
B- CM christmas brunch
D- Artist point

Day 8 Departure day
B- Ohanas

 

[Tonyslady]

So i must start out my first review and say that I didn't get any pictures of the food..My family lets out a collective groan if i get out the camera while in a restaurant.

Anyway here we go... Our flight arrived at MCO around 3pm, we then hopped on the Magical express and headed to AoA. We checked in and asked if gma and gpa could be in a room close to ours..they were able to get them on the same floor a few doors down. We got to our room dropped our stuff off then went to explore the new resort a bit while we waited for gma and gpa to arrive. They got in around 5:30 and by that time everyone was starving...we decided to catch a bus to DTD and see if we could get a walk in at T-rex. I was worried when we walked up and it seemed really busy... However we were put on the waiting list and after only about 15 min we were seated. I like the theming here but just a warning for thoes who haven't been here before it is quite loud. We were not on the dining plan this night so we didn't order apps. For our main courses dh and fil had the"Bronto Burger - 100% beef burger piled high with a fried onion ring, pickles, lettuce, tomato,and your choice of cheese - $13.49" Both thought this was a good burger but didn't really give me many details...they both also cleaned their plates if that says anything. Dd1 and i decided to split the "Gigantosaurus Burger - A second 100% beef patty added to the Bronto Burger with your choice of cheese - $16.99" This thing was HUGE even split between the 2 of us we couldn't finish. the beef was juicy and flavorful and it was drip down your chin good. The fries were just "meh" but that could be cause i was busy eating my burger and let the fries get cold. Mil had the "Paleo Shrimp - Parmesan crusted Shrimp with linguini tossed in a pomodoro cream sauce - $20.99" I got to taste a bit of this and thought the shrimp with the sauce was really good...the shrimp were slightly overcooked but the flavor was still good. Ds1 Had the fish and chips that i don't see on the menu online. I did not try these but ds liked them and fil and mil both tried them and said they were good. dd2 had the kids Corn dog and frys..this must have been good because i didn't ear a word out of her for about 5 min and she managed to clean her plate in no time. Ds 2 had the kids burger...he finished most of it before the excitement of the day caught up with him and he fell asleep. All in all a good meal I think this was a smart choice to pay out of pocket. If we were on the dining plan there is no way we could have made it past the apps.

We decided to walk a round and explore dtd for a bit and we ended up walking past Ghiaradellis...i don't know how anyone can walk by here and not go in...soo of course we went in...I decided to go into the chocolate shop and just grab a salted caramel hot chocolate while everyone else went for ice cream. The hot chocolate was good hot but not so hot that i couldn't drink it. Dh ended up getting a double scoop of strawberry...he didn't eat all of this...way too much but he was nice enough to let me have a taste..I must say that i'm more of a chocolate lover myself but i may have to get the strawberry next time we are there...it was creamy and had a great fresh strawberry flavor. DD1 got strawberry cheesecake and thought it was good and loved the chunks of cheesecake. Ds1 had cookies and cream and says it was good and had nice pieces of cookie. dd2 had Plain vanilla...what can i say it's vanilla...not my fav but she loved it. Ds2 woke up so we got him a small scoop of chocolate chip...i got a few bites of this and enjoyed it. Mil and Fil split a double scoop of chocolate...this was dark and rich and very good.

After a long day of traveling and a good dinner and desert in dtd we headed back to AoA and to our rooms to get some sleep so we would be rested for the following day.

Up Next Day 2 at Kona and Magic Kingdom

 

[Sommery]

Hi, I'm subscribed. In case you quit because you didn't think anybody was reading, I am! Looking forward to more

 

[christinou]

great start, I can't wait to read more.

 

[Tonyslady]

sorry I haven't up dated in a while. It seems like i've been dealing with one sick kid after another for over a month. Now that everyone is healthy they will stay that way for a while.

Day 2

We had a late breakfast ADR for Kona cafe. This is one of my must do breakfasts every time we go. Now i may have to go out of my way to go at least twice each trip. And the Surprise is that I actually have a few pictures for this one.

First the adults started with 2 press pots of coffee. This is some of the best coffee on property def a must have for me.

The kids all had the lilikoi (no idea if i spelled that right) juice, wich they always love. My 4yo decided now would be a good time to catch up on some sleep and slept thru the whole meal so i'll start off with my 7yo. She went with the Minnie's french toast with a bowl of fruit. To me this just looked like regular french toast we make at home but she enjoyed it and ate every last bite.

My 17 yo orderd the tonga toast...this is something she orders everytime we come here. I like it but it's a bit too sweet for me tho i could drink the strawberry sauce with a straw.

My mother-in-law my 11yo and myself all had the big kahuna breakfast MIL and i both chose to sub extra pancakes for the french toast. this also comes with sausage, ham, bacon, potatoes and eggs. The panckaes come with the macadamia nut butter and pineapple sauce. This is what i go to kona for...i love this plate...i love the sweet from the pancakes and the savory of the rest. Mil and ds both enjoyed their meals as well.

Dh had the fruit plate. The award for best presentation went to this dish...it was really pretty and dh said the fruit was fresh and delicious the banana bread was also tasty (he shared a little of this with everyone)

Now the reason I am going to have to make 2 trips here next time is for the dish that my FIL orderd. He ordered the Samoan. here's the description from the menu "Poached eggs with Hollandaise served over smoked pulled pork hash " the pork was sweet and smoky, the eggs perfectly poached and when you got a bite of a little bit of everything it was sooooo good. (he let me try a tiny bite and i will def order this next time)

So after all that food we were all very full but since dh was wearing his Birtday button (his bday isn't till jan 2 but I thought we'd have an early b-day celebration while we were there) The waitress brought him this...

It was just a typical white cake..but it was moist and had good flavor and of course always fun to get a little extra magic.

 

[Tonyslady]

lets see if i can knock out another one.

This day was our magic kingdom day...I decided not to plan lunch...I figured we can grab something if or when we get hungry. Turns out we didn't get hungry till around dinner time. I decided that since tonight was our night for MVMCP that we'd start off with a traditional Christmas style dinner. So we headed over to LTT. We started off with hot rolls....let me tell you something...try not to eat your weight in rolls before the rest of the food comes.. These things came out and they were hot and soft and sooooo yummy we must have gone through 3 baskets of em. The salad was also good I really like the strawberry vinaigrette. then came everything else. If you don't know the dinner here is served family style and comes with Roasted Turkey Breast, Carved Beef and Pork Brisket with Mashed Potatoes, seasonal vegetables, herb bread stuffing and Mac and cheese. The turkey was Moist and the beef cooked perfectly...the pork was ok maybe slightly over done but still tasted good. the mashed potatoes were a big hit for the veggie the green beans were fabulous but the roasted root veggies were way under cooked. The one dish we had to get 2nds and maybe even 3rds was the mac and cheese...this was creamy cheesy goodness. For desert there was an apple cranberry cake with ice cream... which was just ok but most of us were soo full we didn't really want desert anyways. besides we had hot cocoa and cookies coming later.

Ok i think that's good for today...I'll try to get in more tomorrow.

Next up Epcot day With Akershus breakfast and dinner at Via Napoli

 

[PalmettoPrincess]

Mmm love LTT! It always ends up being our restaurant of choice in MK. Can't wait to hear about Via Napoli... Heading there for the first time in a few weeks!

 

[kerri0616]

We're thinking about trying Kona for breakfast next trip and ordering 2 Big Kahunas for our family of 4. Looks like lots of food!

And I must try that coffee!

Eager to hear more.

 

[jennab]

Love reading these dining reviews! Excited for more

 

[Momma to Tinkerbell]

Jumping on board!

 

[ilovepete]

Love it so far, looking forward to more!

 

[pumba]

glad that your family is doing well and thanks for the reviews...will see the rest when you are done..
Thanks again

 

[jesswindsor]

Great review of Kona, can't wait for more!!

 

[ginny_lynn]

My mother-in-law my 11yo and myself all had the big kahuna breakfast MIL and i both chose to sub extra pancakes for the french toast. this also comes with sausage, ham, bacon, potatoes and eggs. The panckaes come with the macadamia nut butter and pineapple sauce. This is what i go to kona for...i love this plate...i love the sweet from the pancakes and the savory of the rest. Mil and ds both enjoyed their meals as well.

Your meal looks great! One question, are the pancakes normal pancakes with the toppings, or do they have nuts in them?
Thank you!

 

[MamaJessie]

Looking forward to more

 

[Tonyslady]

Epcot day!

Ok so I know I said I’d get this done sooner rather then later but like I said before life just tends to get in the way. I’ll try to knock out a couple more today.
So up first is Akershus Princess storybook breakfast. I made this a late reservation so that it was more like brunch. I love this breakfast. The cold bar is by far my favorite part. I like to try a bit of everything so I loaded up my first plate my stand out favorites were the croissants with lingonberry cream cheese the peppered mackerel and the fresh strawberries and blackberries. The hot food was good as well we did ask for more potatoes and sausage. Ds 1 loves the apple turnovers here and must have had about 6 of them. Both dd2 and ds1 love the strawberries here. While we were eating our breakfast they were starting to put some of the lunch offerings out but I was so full I only got to try the asparagus….it was nicely done and had great flavor. Of course during our meal we had a parade of princesses they were all fabulous and as I had dressed ds up as prince charming they all fawned over him. He loved all the attention.

pic of some of the cold selections.

hot platter

picture with belle in her holiday dress

snow white

Cindy with charming ;P

 

[Tonyslady]

Epcot day pt2

I had planned on grabbing lunch at some point during the day but we just weren’t hungry. We did grab a pretzel in Germany and hit up caramel kuche for some caramel corn and piece of salted dark chocolate caramel. We also stopped at the wine place and grabbed some gluhwein. Now if you have never been to a Christmas market in Germany this stuff was just fine….for those who know better…it was gross. Our ressies for this night was for via Napoli. If I had to do it again I might have gone for a 2 credit meal instead….not that there was anything wrong with this place…in fact I still love it…but not everyone was as enthused. Apps that were ordered were Fried calamari , mozzarella caprese and the fried risotto balls. The calamari disappointed me last time but this time it was really good…crispy on the outside but tender inside. Dh was stingy and didn’t share his mozzarella caprese but said it was nice and fresh with the right amount of balsamic. Ds1 ordered the risotto balls he didn’t care for them but everyone else liked them. They were both crispy and creamy and not at all greasy. All but one of us ordered pizza. My mil ordered the chicken parm wich she said was ok nothing to write home about. Unfortunately the chicken parm came out a good 30 min before the rest of our food. I don’t mind waiting for good food but for her to be done eating by the time the rest of us get our food is a bit silly. I ordered the white pizza with artichoke fontina mozzarella and truffle oil I like this I also had plenty of garlic which I love. Dd1 had the prosciutto and melon pizza, Also good probably my fav of all the pizzas ordered. I like the contrast of the salty prosciutto and sweet melon and peppery arugula. Dh and ds1 both got pepperoni and sausage pizzas both good. Fil got a sausage pizza but unfortunately the bottom was so burnt it had to be sent back. They brought him a new one and it got take back to the room for another time. For desert there were a couple ugly but good sundaes , some tiramisu and some zeppolis…probably the best thing about having 8 people in our group is that everyone was willing to share well except dh…he doesn’t like other people picking of his plate….tho he gave in every now and then. For me the ugly but good sundae wins for best desert…but hey anything with cherries and ice cream has to be good right?

Over all everyone thought the meal was just ok. Some of that may be due to slow service and it was very noisy. It didn't bother me much but dd1 and i like to sit and watch the scenery anyways. Maybe next time we'll just make a girls night of it.

Next up (hopefully sooner rather then later) 1900 pf and a change of plans.