Anniversary, Pregnancy, and 3.5 Generations at WDW! DxDP Update: Whispering Canyon!
- Thread starter Buntington
- Start date
Buntington
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 30, 2011
Okay, here goes! Way back in 2011, our next stop after WCC was Hollywood Studios. DH and I went by ourselves while Mom and Grandma relaxed at the hotel. Before lunch, we checked out the Great Movie Ride and my favorite, Muppetvision 3D. I love the Muppets! DH was not as impressed, but he put up with their antics for my sake. Then we headed over to the Sci Fi Dine In Theater for out 11:45 ADR. Even though it was prime lunch time and the restaurant was crowded, we only had to wait a few minutes before getting seated. I greatly enjoyed the decor and atmosphere. Apologies for the poor picture quality; obviously the lighting in there is very different than in other restaurants! DH and I enjoyed the old timey monster movie clips that showed on the screen. However, we were kind of disappointed that the clips started repeating themselves after 15 or 20 minutes. I'd think they could have come up with a slightly longer set of clips so that they would last throughout each family's dining experience.
The menu is different in 2013 than it was when we were there, so some of the items are no longer available. But they still have the spinach artichoke dip, which was our appetizer. DH did not like any of the appetizers, so this one was all for me.
I am a big fan of Applebees spinach and artichoke dip, so I wanted to see how this compared. I was pleasantly surprised! I gave it a 4. I think the chips could have had a bit more of a "homemade" taste, but the dip was very tasty.
For our entrees, DH ordered the angus chuck burger with swiss cheese and fries, while I went for the healthy option and got seared marinated tofu with mango glaze, fresh veggies and rice.
I was pleased with my tofu, but it wasn't anything earth shattering. The mango glaze was probably the best part of the meal. As you can see, it did have quite a nice helping of veggies with it, which I appreciated, because sometimes a restaurant's idea of a vegetable serving is equivalent to a few tablespoons of salsa. I gave it another 4. DH thought his burger as just adequate and rated it a 3. He noted that he could have gotten a burger of similar quality at any restaurant at home in Indiana.
For dessert, I opted for the apple crumble, while DH tried the red velvet cheesecake with raspberry sauce and whipped cream. This was by far the best part of the meal.
Yum, yum! DH doesn't like apple crumble, so he wasn't interested in sampling my dessert, but I tried a bit of his cheesecake and it was delectable! I normally don't like red velvet cake because it has a strong aftertaste, but this one just tasted like chocolate. It was perfect! DH preferred the cheesecake part and the whipped cream, though. My apple crumble was warm, juicy, and just what an apple crumble should be. It tasted homemade. The ice cream and caramel on top were a perfect accompaniment. DH was feeling obstinant and declined to rate his cheesecake, while I gave my apple crumble a 5.
Overall, I liked the Sci Fi, whereas DH was on the fence about it. He thought the food wasn't anything special. I thought the food was pretty good, but it definitely paled in comparison to some of the other restaurants we'd already tried. In retrospect, I don't think it's a good restaurant to bring a toddler, so we won't be including it in our plans for baby Søren's first trip in 2014. The poor lighting would make it hard to entertain a little one, and the booths didn't seem very conducive to using a high chair or booster seat. I might try it again just for fun if we were going on an adults only trip, but I wouldn't recommend it solely on the basis of the food. Most of the fun is in the theming.
Mom and Grandma headed over to the Captain's Grille at the Yacht Club for lunch. Mom took pictures with her camera, but somewhere in our move to Missouri, they got lost, so there will be no review. Both of them reported being highly impressed and described the meal as gourmet, though. Next up...snacks at Hollywood Studios, and then Ohana for dinner!
The menu is different in 2013 than it was when we were there, so some of the items are no longer available. But they still have the spinach artichoke dip, which was our appetizer. DH did not like any of the appetizers, so this one was all for me.
I am a big fan of Applebees spinach and artichoke dip, so I wanted to see how this compared. I was pleasantly surprised! I gave it a 4. I think the chips could have had a bit more of a "homemade" taste, but the dip was very tasty.
For our entrees, DH ordered the angus chuck burger with swiss cheese and fries, while I went for the healthy option and got seared marinated tofu with mango glaze, fresh veggies and rice.
I was pleased with my tofu, but it wasn't anything earth shattering. The mango glaze was probably the best part of the meal. As you can see, it did have quite a nice helping of veggies with it, which I appreciated, because sometimes a restaurant's idea of a vegetable serving is equivalent to a few tablespoons of salsa. I gave it another 4. DH thought his burger as just adequate and rated it a 3. He noted that he could have gotten a burger of similar quality at any restaurant at home in Indiana.
For dessert, I opted for the apple crumble, while DH tried the red velvet cheesecake with raspberry sauce and whipped cream. This was by far the best part of the meal.
Yum, yum! DH doesn't like apple crumble, so he wasn't interested in sampling my dessert, but I tried a bit of his cheesecake and it was delectable! I normally don't like red velvet cake because it has a strong aftertaste, but this one just tasted like chocolate. It was perfect! DH preferred the cheesecake part and the whipped cream, though. My apple crumble was warm, juicy, and just what an apple crumble should be. It tasted homemade. The ice cream and caramel on top were a perfect accompaniment. DH was feeling obstinant and declined to rate his cheesecake, while I gave my apple crumble a 5.
Overall, I liked the Sci Fi, whereas DH was on the fence about it. He thought the food wasn't anything special. I thought the food was pretty good, but it definitely paled in comparison to some of the other restaurants we'd already tried. In retrospect, I don't think it's a good restaurant to bring a toddler, so we won't be including it in our plans for baby Søren's first trip in 2014. The poor lighting would make it hard to entertain a little one, and the booths didn't seem very conducive to using a high chair or booster seat. I might try it again just for fun if we were going on an adults only trip, but I wouldn't recommend it solely on the basis of the food. Most of the fun is in the theming.
Mom and Grandma headed over to the Captain's Grille at the Yacht Club for lunch. Mom took pictures with her camera, but somewhere in our move to Missouri, they got lost, so there will be no review. Both of them reported being highly impressed and described the meal as gourmet, though. Next up...snacks at Hollywood Studios, and then Ohana for dinner!
Buntington
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 30, 2011
As I mentioned, we were mostly too full to use our snack credits, but I felt obligated to at least try a bite of something while we were at DHS. I had heard great things about the carrot cake cookie, so I opted for that. DH and I were also feeling very overheated, so we got some slushies.
My half blue raspberry, half strawberry slushie. Nothing special, but it was very refreshing on a hot August day!
DH got a strawberry slushie. He found it to be adequate.
As you may have noticed, DH could never be accused of being overly enthusiastic about anything.
The carrot cake cookie! Oh, I would rate this a 5. So much luscious cream cheese! The cookie part was very soft and moist. Alas, I was still so full from lunch that I could only eat a few bites. It is a *very* large cookie, so if you are going to get it and not waste part of it, plan on sharing it with someone.
I don't think we will go to DHS for Søren's first Disney trip (as a park, it was pretty underwhelming, and I'd rather spend two days in Epcot instead), but the next time we do go, I'll definitely be getting another one of these.
Next up...dinner at Ohana!
My half blue raspberry, half strawberry slushie. Nothing special, but it was very refreshing on a hot August day!
DH got a strawberry slushie. He found it to be adequate.
As you may have noticed, DH could never be accused of being overly enthusiastic about anything.
The carrot cake cookie! Oh, I would rate this a 5. So much luscious cream cheese! The cookie part was very soft and moist. Alas, I was still so full from lunch that I could only eat a few bites. It is a *very* large cookie, so if you are going to get it and not waste part of it, plan on sharing it with someone.
I don't think we will go to DHS for Søren's first Disney trip (as a park, it was pretty underwhelming, and I'd rather spend two days in Epcot instead), but the next time we do go, I'll definitely be getting another one of these.Next up...dinner at Ohana!
Buntington
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 30, 2011
After DH and I returned from DHS, the four of us headed over to the Polynesian Resort for our ADR at Ohana. I had high hopes for this restaurant, because I had fond memories of eating there as a child with Mom and Grandma. But it had been at least 15 years since we'd eaten there, so we weren't sure how much it had changed. When we arrived, we got a buzzer and then wandered around a bit to enjoy the decor and shopping as we waited for our table.
As I'm sure all of you know, Ohana's is an all-you-can-eat family style place. The server welcomed us as "family" members and gave us our welcome bread. This was delicious, with a light pineapple flavor. Even DH was a fan.
The appetizers included chicken wings and pork dumplings.
I don't like wings, but Mom, Grandma, and DH said they were good. The dumplings were pretty good, but again, not my favorite thing. I think we rated them all a 3. Decent, but not stellar.
However, I was a huge fan of this salad. It was very fresh and I loved the honey lime dressing. It was very sweet, but the tropical flavor was nice.
Next up came out entrees--every kind of meat you could think of on skewers! This time I was the picky eater because I only eat chicken. DH, Grandma, and Mom all sampled the pork, shrimp, and steak. They liked the steak the the best. I thought the chicken was scrumptious--juicy, nice grill flavor, didn't really need any sauce or seasoning. But I tried dipping it in the peanut and sweet and sour sauces and liked them both. Mom, Grandma, and I gave the meats a 5. DH rated them a 4. Alas, I couldn't get very good pictures of them because we were too busy stuffing our faces!
The entree also came with broccoli and noodles.
These were good, but not anything special. I could have made something similar at home. We rated them a 4.
During our meal, the Ohana staff began the limbo contest and coconut races. We did not participate, but enjoyed watching. Lots of kids got in line to do both. Here is a very blurry pic.
Finally, just when we thought we couldn't fit anything else into our stomachs, the bread pudding arrived. This was the stuff of legend. I forgot to take a picture right away, but I'm sure you get the idea. The bananas foster sauce was sooooo good. The bread was pineapple-y and was probably something similar to the welcome bread they served us, and the ice cream went perfectly with it. I wish I could have eaten more, but we were all so full! Even DH liked it, although he only rated it a 4 because he is not a huge fan of caramel.
DH and I agreed that Ohana was one of our favorite restaurants from the trip. Even though some of the food was just "okay" for us, the all-you-can-eat meat and noodles really appealed to DH, since he is such a picky eater and doesn't like any "weird stuff" in his food. I also loved the meat, salad, and the dessert. I had lots of fun imagining bringing Anneka someday and watching her play the games, and even though she will never have the chance, I think it will be just as much fun to go with Søren! This is definitely on our ADR list for 2014.
As I'm sure all of you know, Ohana's is an all-you-can-eat family style place. The server welcomed us as "family" members and gave us our welcome bread. This was delicious, with a light pineapple flavor. Even DH was a fan.
The appetizers included chicken wings and pork dumplings.
I don't like wings, but Mom, Grandma, and DH said they were good. The dumplings were pretty good, but again, not my favorite thing. I think we rated them all a 3. Decent, but not stellar.
However, I was a huge fan of this salad. It was very fresh and I loved the honey lime dressing. It was very sweet, but the tropical flavor was nice.
Next up came out entrees--every kind of meat you could think of on skewers! This time I was the picky eater because I only eat chicken. DH, Grandma, and Mom all sampled the pork, shrimp, and steak. They liked the steak the the best. I thought the chicken was scrumptious--juicy, nice grill flavor, didn't really need any sauce or seasoning. But I tried dipping it in the peanut and sweet and sour sauces and liked them both. Mom, Grandma, and I gave the meats a 5. DH rated them a 4. Alas, I couldn't get very good pictures of them because we were too busy stuffing our faces!
The entree also came with broccoli and noodles.
These were good, but not anything special. I could have made something similar at home. We rated them a 4.
During our meal, the Ohana staff began the limbo contest and coconut races. We did not participate, but enjoyed watching. Lots of kids got in line to do both. Here is a very blurry pic.
Finally, just when we thought we couldn't fit anything else into our stomachs, the bread pudding arrived. This was the stuff of legend. I forgot to take a picture right away, but I'm sure you get the idea. The bananas foster sauce was sooooo good. The bread was pineapple-y and was probably something similar to the welcome bread they served us, and the ice cream went perfectly with it. I wish I could have eaten more, but we were all so full! Even DH liked it, although he only rated it a 4 because he is not a huge fan of caramel.
DH and I agreed that Ohana was one of our favorite restaurants from the trip. Even though some of the food was just "okay" for us, the all-you-can-eat meat and noodles really appealed to DH, since he is such a picky eater and doesn't like any "weird stuff" in his food. I also loved the meat, salad, and the dessert. I had lots of fun imagining bringing Anneka someday and watching her play the games, and even though she will never have the chance, I think it will be just as much fun to go with Søren! This is definitely on our ADR list for 2014.
January2007
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2013
Bless your heart. I am so sorry for your loss and I am so glad you have a new baby to cuddle. Thank you so much for the reviews! The 'Ohana bread pudding is definitely a thing legends are made of!
Buntington
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 30, 2011
Thanks, January! I'll have to post a picture at some point--I know I'm biased, but I think he's the cutest thing ever! I found a recipe online for the bread pudding, so I'm going to try to recreate it at home sometime this fall.
Buntington
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 30, 2011
Friday morning, we headed downstairs to the Whispering Canyon Cafe for our second meal there. I took a few pictures of WL for good measure. I love WL so much! It is our absolute favorite Disney hotel and I can't imagine staying anywhere else. We have stayed at the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Beach Club before, and they're perfectly nice places, but the theming of WL gets me every time. I maintain that it also has the best decorations at Christmas.
The restaurant was pretty deserted when we got there. We like our early breakfast ADRs! We were all feeling pretty hungry, so we got larger meals than we'd had the previous morning. DH, Grandma, and I all had the two eggs any style with various accompaniments.
DH had his eggs scrambled, with bacon and a biscuit. You can see how he likes to slather his biscuits in butter. He was largely unimpressed with this meal and rated it a 3. DH is very picky about his scrambled eggs and generally prefers them to be dry, so he never likes the way they cook them in restaurants. He was also not a huge fan of the potatoes.
I had my eggs scrambled as well, but with sausage. I know, another sausage, not good for pregnant women, yada yada. I only ate half of one sausage because of this, but it was delicious. I rated this meal a 4 because I actually prefer restaurant style scrambled eggs to the ones I cook at home. Later I found out that Anneka's birth defect had occurred when I was only 5 weeks pregnant, so none of the things I was worried about doing during the trip had any negative effect on her anyway. I was still very careful with my latest pregnancy, though!
Grandma had her eggs over easy with bacon and burnt toast. I will never understand her love of burnt toast! She only enjoys her toast if it is truly charred and blackened, and restaurants never seem to understand that when she says, "Burn it!" she really means it. She had to send the toast back a second time to be re-burnt because it was not crispy enough when they first brought it out, but then she was satisfied. She rated this a 4. Grandma has some kidney problems and does not normally eat bacon because of dietary restrictions, so she was really enjoying herself on this trip!
Finally, my mom indulged in some biscuits and gravy (these are my favorite, so I had to try bite too!). We both rated this a 5. WCC's biscuits were light and flaky and the sausage gravy was full of creamy goodness. I'd definitely order this again!
Mom, grandma, and I were sold on Whispering Canyon, especially after the second meal. It's not the most exciting place ever, but the breakfasts are hearty and tasty, and definitely better than your run-of-the-mill Bob Evans or Perkins meal. DH was less impressed and really didn't care to eat there again, so I'm not sure what we will do for breakfasts during our next trip.
Next up...Animal Kingdom! Yaks, yetis, and bananas...
The restaurant was pretty deserted when we got there. We like our early breakfast ADRs! We were all feeling pretty hungry, so we got larger meals than we'd had the previous morning. DH, Grandma, and I all had the two eggs any style with various accompaniments.
DH had his eggs scrambled, with bacon and a biscuit. You can see how he likes to slather his biscuits in butter. He was largely unimpressed with this meal and rated it a 3. DH is very picky about his scrambled eggs and generally prefers them to be dry, so he never likes the way they cook them in restaurants. He was also not a huge fan of the potatoes.
I had my eggs scrambled as well, but with sausage. I know, another sausage, not good for pregnant women, yada yada. I only ate half of one sausage because of this, but it was delicious. I rated this meal a 4 because I actually prefer restaurant style scrambled eggs to the ones I cook at home. Later I found out that Anneka's birth defect had occurred when I was only 5 weeks pregnant, so none of the things I was worried about doing during the trip had any negative effect on her anyway. I was still very careful with my latest pregnancy, though!
Grandma had her eggs over easy with bacon and burnt toast. I will never understand her love of burnt toast! She only enjoys her toast if it is truly charred and blackened, and restaurants never seem to understand that when she says, "Burn it!" she really means it. She had to send the toast back a second time to be re-burnt because it was not crispy enough when they first brought it out, but then she was satisfied. She rated this a 4. Grandma has some kidney problems and does not normally eat bacon because of dietary restrictions, so she was really enjoying herself on this trip!
Finally, my mom indulged in some biscuits and gravy (these are my favorite, so I had to try bite too!). We both rated this a 5. WCC's biscuits were light and flaky and the sausage gravy was full of creamy goodness. I'd definitely order this again!
Mom, grandma, and I were sold on Whispering Canyon, especially after the second meal. It's not the most exciting place ever, but the breakfasts are hearty and tasty, and definitely better than your run-of-the-mill Bob Evans or Perkins meal. DH was less impressed and really didn't care to eat there again, so I'm not sure what we will do for breakfasts during our next trip.
Next up...Animal Kingdom! Yaks, yetis, and bananas...
DonaldDoleWhip
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2008
It's interesting how your reviews are like a blast from the past! Of course, a lot has stayed the same over the last two years, but there are some cool differences as well.
This is especially applicable with WCC. As you said, the breakfast menu isn't the most exciting ever. However, last year (I think in September?), they added some fun new dishes! Examples include a house-made banana bread french toast with bananas foster sauce, or a chicken apple-raisin sausage hash with onions, peppers, potatoes, and two eggs any style. WCC is a place that I haven't tried yet, so I'm glad to see that you enjoyed it.
This is especially applicable with WCC. As you said, the breakfast menu isn't the most exciting ever. However, last year (I think in September?), they added some fun new dishes! Examples include a house-made banana bread french toast with bananas foster sauce, or a chicken apple-raisin sausage hash with onions, peppers, potatoes, and two eggs any style. WCC is a place that I haven't tried yet, so I'm glad to see that you enjoyed it.
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