AGLET – We're Gonna Tour The World Together! Updated 11/9!!!

[Disneybuckeye]

I just found your report and could not stop reading until I was all caught up. As DH and I often go alone, or with our college age children, I love adult orientated reports. I am really enjoying yours and am sorry it is close to being complete.

A couple of comments:

I agree with you Poly assessment. We have never stayed there but I agree it seems kinds of brown and bland. The WL we love. We own DVC there and I love it. Yes, it is a little off the beaten path, but we have always had great transportation out of there and it is very relaxing.

The Epcot resort area is a great place to stay. I do love the friendship boats and being able to walk to DHS and Epcot if we chose.

The Butterfinger cupcake is better than the Red Velvet.

The Lion King show is great.

Did you know you can go out on the observation deck at Cali Grill and watch the fireworks if you are done eating? We watched a shuttle launch one evening from there also.

We also love the Muppets and I have decided it needs to stay as is because of Jim Henson.

I am glad you found a new job.

Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

This made me literally laugh out loud! To me, beets are a huge pain to cook at home, I hate turning purple from them!

I also wouldn't have gotten the oysters, no matter how hard I try, I can't like them.

The restaurant looks beautiful! I'm so grateful that you got there early and we got to see so much of it!

I'm 100% certain that DH would have gotten exactly the same entree as you. I can be weird about game meats. Did it taste gamey? Or did it taste more like really lean beef?

The desserts look outstanding!

We plan to do a lot more signatures on our next trip, so I'm loving all of the reviews that you're doing! Sounds like Artist's Point was the front runner so far?

Hahaha I've never ever made them! They make you turn purple??? I think I'll be skipping making them then!

I've never actually been brave enough to try oysters...I just can't!

The restaurant really was gorgeous! I was so glad we went while it was light out and got to see all of the views, along with the beautiful artwork inside.

I didn't think it was gamey, it just tasted very lean to me. I don't have game meats very often though! The desserts were absolutely incredible!!! We LOVED them!

We kept trying to decide which meal was our favorite, but it was so hard to choose! In the end we both had "top 3's" or so!

Wow, Artist Point looks gorgeous! The food also looks amazing! So glad you guys enjoyed it so much. I would be completely torn between the berry cobbler and Wingnut's dessert.

You remind me of my DBF...Wingnut's appetizer is something he would not touch with a ten-foot pole. However, he also would not touch the entree, because he can't stand anything steak-like. That is totally up my alley, though!

It really was a fantastic meal!! We loved it there!

Hahahaha there are just things I will not go near. Oysters are one of those things! I could never not eat steak though!

I'm all caught up on your TR (one of the good things about being absent from the Dis for a while is lots of reading to catch up on)!

Your Artist Point dinner looks SO good! I've never eaten there, and now I itching to try it! Thanks, as always, for the detailed review!

(Oh, and here are a couple of additional exclamation points, just in case there aren't enough up there!!)

It was so good!! We loved it!!

Hahaha I always overuse exclamation points on the Dis too, don't worry!!

(!!!!!!!!!!)

I'm so glad that you enjoyed your meal! Sounds wonderful (though most of the ingredients are basically foreign to me... go figure)!

This is actually the first good review I've heard of Artist Point, surprisingly, so I'm really glad yall enjoyed it so much.

It was a fantastic meal! And whenever we were ordering anything, Izzy would be like "can I tell you guys about that?" and would explain it in detail. He was awesome!

I had read negative reviews of Artist Point before our trip, and yes, I was a bit nervous going into the ADR, but I think this was a definite example of "don't always listen to reviews, you never know what you would like." There are things that people LOVE that we didn't care for (Red Velvet Cheesecake cupcake), and restaurants like Artist Point that get negative reviews, that I can't wait to go back to!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

AP is one of my favorites! I love the buffalo and that berry cobbler is amazing! Can't wait to eat there again in October.

Jill in CO

It really was an amazing restaurant!!! Yay for you getting to go in October!!

We celebrated our 5yr anniversary at Artist Point and had a wonderful meal (except for the desserts... but we had problems with lots of desserts....) Can't wait to go back in October... What will make it even nicer is leaving the restaurant and simply walking back to our room at VWL!

Artist Point sounds like the perfect restaurant for an anniversary dinner! Yay for you also getting to return in October!! It really is awesome when you dine at your resort and just get to stroll back to your room at the end of the meal!

I'm so glad you guys liked Artist Point, we loved it! I know the bread is just standard bread, but I loved it SO much! I can't wait to go back there someday!

I'm glad to hear that you loved it too!! Disney bread really is great, I always have to be careful to just taste it, not fill up on it!

See, I never even remember AP is there. I have a problem remembering resort restaurants (I'm getting better), but I think I mostly don't think about it because I don't think any nice restaurant would be good for my rowdy children! Maybe one day, on a date or something...

True story: I've never eaten a beet in my life.
Another true story: I hate oysters.
I'm thinking that if I want to get to liking these things that I should order these appetizers; they look so yummy!

I probably wouldn't order buffalo (I'm with Shan on this one--is it gamey? Cause I can be weird about gamey.) but it would be right up Brandon's alley! I am boring and pretty much stick to fish/seafood (not oysters or mussels, generally), chicken, and pork. I will eat other things if coaxed. I'm not even a fan of hamburgers because I don't like how most beef tastes. We eat turkey burgers at home.

And now I'm just rambling.
I know you're very shocked.

The resort restaurants are really great, we actually go to them more often than the in-park restaurants! They're usually a bit quieter, which is a nice break from the crazy park touring days!

Beets are pretty good, I was a bit wary of them for a long time! They're a bit sweet, but not overly so.

I didn't think it was gamey, just very lean. I love steaks and beef though (as you could probably tell from my dinners so far! ). I'm usually boring with my food choices too!

I think my trip report is 95% rambling anyways, rambles are more than welcome here!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Excellent AP review !! I am certain my DH would LOVE this restaurant, but I am not sure the kids would like anything there. I am sure we will get a chance to try it sometime .... I hope. We ARE staying at Wilderness Lodge in September.

Thanks!!! Definitely check out the menu, especially if you're staying at WL! It really is a wonderful restaurant!

Ahhhhhh! That amazing deliciousness makes me sad that I cancelled our Artist Point ADR!
That is the one thing I know for sure will be happening on our next next trip!!

Thank you for the awesome review!

Next time, you'll have to go!! It's so hard to fit in all of the restaurants you want to go to in 1 trip, isn't it?

You have officially convinced me to go to Artist Pointe. Not that I never wanted to, just hadn't made it there. Everything looks so yummy.

I love the fact that Wingnut had brussel sprouts! I love them, but I can honestly say I've never seen them offered at a standard restaurant. A shame really.

Yay!!! We loved it there, everything we had was fantastic!

He had Brussels sprouts a few times that week, actually! (I think his dish at California Grill had them!) He loves them. I like them in smaller amounts .

Caught up!

Loved the beet app at the Artist Point. It was really yummy, although I could have eaten twice the portion.

Denny grows beets in his garden and they are truly the most fab beets ever. They would make wingnut drool (or stick out his tongue).

I think WL is one of those resorts that I have to be in the mood for. When I stayed there in May a few years ago it felt forced to me. I am hoping that it holds more appeal to me in October. I really wanted to stay there in December to get the whole Christmas effect.

Glad you enjoyed AP. It's a great restaurant. BTW - we really enjoyed the Bistro. Wonderful meal and experience.

Hahahaha I could have too! I know Wingnut was wishing there was more as well!

That's so cool that Denny grows beets! If we had any sort of a yard, I'm sure he would try to plant beets! I know he always wants to grow herbs and peppers, but all we would be able to plant them in are little containers! Someday, we will!

I know what you mean, it was a beautiful resort, but I just couldn't see us staying there. I'm sure it's even more beautiful around the holidays!

I'm so excited that you enjoyed Bistro!! Can't wait to see your review!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Another great restaurant review AP looks wonderful. Also nice to hear you guys had such a nice waiter too. That always helps to have a really nice meal!

Thanks!!! It really was a great meal, and Izzy was awesome too!!

The last time we ate at AP was in 2006, and we really enjoyed the meal. I'm very happy to see that it is still as good as we remembered! I've love to return one of these days, but I won't do it until the kids are older, or if it is date night.

I think Wingnut's appy looks delicious, but I adore oysters! I'm not really sure about beets. The one time I tried them they tasted like dirt (which I obviously didn't love), but maybe I should give them a second chance.

Your buffalo looks delicious, and as a fellow brussel sprout lover I am really happy to see them on the plate (I think they are an under-appreciated veggie!).

Thank you for the detailed review!

We thought it was great! It would definitely be a great date night restaurant!

That's strange that the beets tasted like dirt. These definitely did not! I'd vote for giving them another chance!

I agree that they are under-appreciated! They were really good! Wingnut was so excited to have so many of them!

Latecomer, here, but I am really enjoying your trip-slash-dining report! I am a HUGE Muppets fan, also!

Welcome!! Glad to have another Muppets fan here!!!

I just found your report and could not stop reading until I was all caught up. As DH and I often go alone, or with our college age children, I love adult orientated reports. I am really enjoying yours and am sorry it is close to being complete.

A couple of comments:

I agree with you Poly assessment. We have never stayed there but I agree it seems kinds of brown and bland. The WL we love. We own DVC there and I love it. Yes, it is a little off the beaten path, but we have always had great transportation out of there and it is very relaxing.

The Epcot resort area is a great place to stay. I do love the friendship boats and being able to walk to DHS and Epcot if we chose.

The Butterfinger cupcake is better than the Red Velvet.

The Lion King show is great.

Did you know you can go out on the observation deck at Cali Grill and watch the fireworks if you are done eating? We watched a shuttle launch one evening from there also.

We also love the Muppets and I have decided it needs to stay as is because of Jim Henson.

I am glad you found a new job.

Looking forward to reading more.

Welcome!!! Glad to have you here!!

I'm not quite done yet! Another day and 3/4 to go!

I thought we'd love the Poly more than we did! We just love the Epcot area a lot more! I'm glad to hear that the WL transportation is good, since it seemed a bit far from everything, that would be one of the concerns I'd have about staying there!

We should try the Butterfinger cupcake next time! Too many treats to enjoy!

Yes, we did consider going out there, but decided to head back instead. It looks like a cool view from there though!

I agree, I definitely don't want the Muppets to change!

Thank you!!

 

[Enchanted88]

Hi, there! I thought I'd introduce myself! I've been reading your TR, but I haven't commented yet!! I'm really enjoying it, and you crack me up!!

You guys look like you had a wonderful trip, and looks like you guys ate a whole lot of good food!!

That berry cobbler looks divine!! DH and I will have to check that out on one of our trips!!

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Wonderful AP review! Definitely makes me want to go there sometime! I particularly like the gold panning dish for the bread -- I get such a kick out of details like that!

 

[Simba22]

I want to try AP some day...I think I may have put it on the list for next year....

The WL/FW do seem to be way out there, right? When we went to FW for the Haunted Carriage Ride last time we were there, I swore the bus driver was a psycho killer and took us off Disney property, somewhere into the Everglades (which are...4 hours away?) to murder us and feed us to the gators.

All I knew is that it was super dark, we were driving for a long time, and we were surrounded by trees.

Maybe next time, the boat will definitely be a better option for my over active imagination...

 

[mickeystoontown]

Darn Dis hasn't been sending me emails when updates are posted so I was a bit behind. I think you made a great choice to take the boat to the MK and then transfer to the WL/FW boat. It really is a lovely boat ride.

As for you being a bit underwhelmed by the Wilderness Lodge, I can understand but for a different reason. We actually live in a log home and our decorative touches look like those at WL (except, of course, not on as grand a scale at WL). I guess that's why we don't go ga-ga over the WL.

Your meal at Artist Point looks delicious! So, it's worth two table service credits on the dining plan?

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Hi, there! I thought I'd introduce myself! I've been reading your TR, but I haven't commented yet!! I'm really enjoying it, and you crack me up!!

You guys look like you had a wonderful trip, and looks like you guys ate a whole lot of good food!!

That berry cobbler looks divine!! DH and I will have to check that out on one of our trips!!

Looking forward to reading more!

Welcome!!! Thank you, glad to have you here!!

Hahaha yes, we did eat a TON of awesome food!!! The cobbler was amazing, perfect for berry lovers!

Wonderful AP review! Definitely makes me want to go there sometime! I particularly like the gold panning dish for the bread -- I get such a kick out of details like that!

Thanks!! You definitely should check it out! I loved the bread "basket" too, I thought it was so cool!

I want to try AP some day...I think I may have put it on the list for next year....

The WL/FW do seem to be way out there, right? When we went to FW for the Haunted Carriage Ride last time we were there, I swore the bus driver was a psycho killer and took us off Disney property, somewhere into the Everglades (which are...4 hours away?) to murder us and feed us to the gators.

All I knew is that it was super dark, we were driving for a long time, and we were surrounded by trees.

Maybe next time, the boat will definitely be a better option for my over active imagination...

It really did seem to be in the middle of nowhere, even though it really didn't take that long via boat! I'm glad that your bus ride only ended with you going to Fort Wilderness! There are a LOT of trees in that area, it's so cool how the atmosphere COMPLETELY changes around each resort!

Hahahahaha I wasn't too worried about being on the boat, maybe that's a better plan for you!

Darn Dis hasn't been sending me emails when updates are posted so I was a bit behind. I think you made a great choice to take the boat to the MK and then transfer to the WL/FW boat. It really is a lovely boat ride.

As for you being a bit underwhelmed by the Wilderness Lodge, I can understand but for a different reason. We actually live in a log home and our decorative touches look like those at WL (except, of course, not on as grand a scale at WL). I guess that's why we don't go ga-ga over the WL.

Your meal at Artist Point looks delicious! So, it's worth two table service credits on the dining plan?

It was really nice! I was impressed with the size of the boat, I thought it was going to be one of the smaller ones like the ones between the Poly and the MK!

That's understandable too! I definitely thought it was pretty! How cool that you live in a log home!!

It really was a great meal! Yes, it is one of the signature meals, 2 credits per person on the dining plan.

 

[Jennifer48]

Great AP review! I'll have to add that to my list of restaurants to try. Thanks!

 

[annmarieda]

Awww I thought you guys had a good time there! Think of the waffles!

We did... and I do think it is pretty and nice and all... but there are definitely other places I want to stay.

Your meal at AP looks and sounds like it was fantastic! Our room was just a couple rooms down from a view point of the restaurant. If you happened to look up, you may have seen a window not far from my room. Each time we looked in though, the restaurant was quite empty. I think if it were not, I would have felt funny looking down on the people below who were eating.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Great AP review! I'll have to add that to my list of restaurants to try. Thanks!

Thanks!!! You definitely should!

We did... and I do think it is pretty and nice and all... but there are definitely other places I want to stay.

Your meal at AP looks and sounds like it was fantastic! Our room was just a couple rooms down from a view point of the restaurant. If you happened to look up, you may have seen a window not far from my room. Each time we looked in though, the restaurant was quite empty. I think if it were not, I would have felt funny looking down on the people below who were eating.

That's totally understandable! There's too many resorts to choose from sometimes!

That sounds like a really cool view! That would have been weird to look down on the people in the restaurant though!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

(I apologize, the Love Boat theme is also stuck in my head head too now.)

After our awesome dinner at Artist Point, we decided to return to the Polynesian similarly to how we came to the Wilderness Lodge (boat to boat).

A blurry night picture of the Wilderness Lodge ambiance:



As we headed out to the boat dock, I couldn’t believe how quiet and dark the rest of the lake was, and how far we seemed to be from the lights and noise of the Magic Kingdom and the monorail loop, even though it was really so close to us. It was nice to soak in the peacefulness of that area for a few moments as we waited for the next boat to arrive.





Soon enough, we were on our way back to the Magic Kingdom. The MK was only going to be open for around a half hour longer, and I figured that wouldn’t really be fantastic timing for us to get good spots for Wishes, so we went on our way back to the Polynesian so we wouldn’t have to deal with transportation crowds.

We got in line for one of the pontoon boats headed for the Grand Floridian and Polynesian, just missing the cutoff for the boat soon leaving. Not a problem, we waited for a few minutes until the next boat arrived.

We got on board the next boat, and sat on one of the front rows of benches. As we sailed along towards the Grand Floridian, I commented to Wingnut how I wished we used more of the boat transportation earlier, this was a very pleasant way to travel. He agreed.

We docked at the Grand Floridian, and the lights on the boat came on for people to disembark.

And that’s when Wingnut and I simultaneously looked at our surroundings, and traveling via boat got a lot less pleasant.

More specifically, we noticed the approximately 6 kabillion crane flies that were also on board the boat with us, seemingly crawling on every surface. The ceiling, the rails, the walls, they were everywhere.

I know Disney is in the middle of Florida, and really, I am constantly impressed at how few bugs I always see when I’m there. So this was definitely an out of the norm experience for us, and I am far from complaining about any sort of pest situation at WDW. It was more of a random isolated “ewwww bugs!” moment.

Wingnut hates bugs too, but was attempting to be the one with the somewhat calm demeanor (because, clearly, that was not going to be me), telling me “they’re harmless, they’re harmless.”

BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN I WANT THEM AROUND ME.

(This is a crane fly:

(Image from Wikipedia))

(This is a fairly accurate representation of me sitting in a pontoon boat filled with crane flies:

)

And we noticed our ride companions a bit too late to hop off at the GF and find another way back to the Polynesian, so as we pulled away from the dock, I kept my eye on the bugs that I could find, willing them all to stay put and not all jump onto my head or something.

And then the lights went out again.

The normally fairly-brief ride from the Grand Floridian to the Polynesian takes approximately an eternity while every little passing breeze on the open boat feels like a crane fly on your arm/leg/nose. (Not that I know this from experience... )

As we docked at the Polynesian, I gave absolutely no opportunity to Wingnut to do his usual gentlemanly “everyone else in the tri-county area can get off of the boat before me,” gesture, and I bolted off of the boat (arms most likely flailing about a la Kermit the Frog) before anyone else could stand up, with Wingnut right behind me.

We got a few feet onto the dock and then instantly started checking ourselves and each other for rogue crane flies, both of us asking the other repeatedly “do I have any on me? Are you sure?” None had hopped aboard either one of us, and so with one final “they’re harmless” from Wingnut, we made our way over to the GCH for our usual evening water bottle shopping.

We headed back to Tokelau, and I decided to watch Wishes one more time from the Poly walkway like I had earlier in the week. The next night was our last night in Disney, and we were planning to see Illuminations then, when Epcot had EMH. Wingnut decided to go back to the room instead, so I watched the show on my own, near a family also watching Wishes (except for their kids, who were much more happy to play in the sand than see the fireworks in front of them )



After Wishes ended (I love how people applaud, even from the Polynesian!), I returned to Tokelau, already sad that the next day was going to be our last full day at Disney!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Another great update. I too love riding the boats at Disney. Much better than the buses. I have never noticed bug issues before. Hopefully it was just that one night

Looking forward to hearing about your last day.

 

[Nermel9]

I love how you are so close to MK and the monorail at the Wilderness Lodge, but it is so quiet and peaceful at the same time!

I love traveling by boat in Disney, but ew, those bugs look so gross!! One or two might not bother me, but if the boat was covered in them, I'd probably freak out!

 

[Megablocks]

I can't stand bugs, especially large bugs (no matter how harmless), so I would have been freaking out. Weird bugs are one of the reasons I could neverrrr travel to Disney in the warmer months!

 

[CandleontheWater]

I have to admit, your bug story totally made me laugh! I can just imagine you sitting there silently freaking out as the bugs inch closer, and closer....

Having lived/worked outside in Florida for the better part of a decade, I've mostly become desensitized, except when it comes to banana spiders, those thing scare the beejezus out of me!

 

[MEK]

I can't believe your last full day is upon us. Oh No!

So glad you enjoyed your boat ride back to the Poly. Well, almost! If the lights had never been turned on you wouldn't have seen those pesky insects. Darn Lights!

You're right - everyone on the Poly beach does clamp when Wishes is over. I was just there.

 

[tinacaplan]

Well...you have convinced me to try AP at some point...although, I must admit that the WL doesn't hold much appeal to me, so that factors into my ambivalence about trekking out there. Your meal looked fantastic, though! Personally, I'm a huge fan of beets, so I probably would've loved your salad.

(I apologize, the Love Boat theme is also stuck in my head head too now.)

Yeah...THANKS...I now also have the Love Boat theme stuck in my head! We discovered that we loved the boats, too! Although we missed the flies, so all in all, had a much more pleasant experience that you did.