Birthday Celerbration Mom & Son:Sept 24~30 *Last Day Le Cellier Complete!*

[mousegear]

This morning we had 7:40 ADR at Ohana. DS specifically asked for Ohana so that he could meet Lilo and Stitch. So I got up at 6am and showered and got ready and woke DS up around 6:45 so that he could get ready. We were out the door by 7:15am. The drive to Poly took about 10 minutes. There were 3 families in line to check-in and I got a buzzer soon after. We saw Ohana's opening ceremony and our buzzer went off right away. We were seated in the main dining area over looking castle. Our server was older lady "aunt" and she was very charming and accomodating without being too over the top. She soon brought juice, coffee, bread, and fruit.

Juice tasted little too sweet for me but I'm a black coffee person so I was satisfied with a big pot of coffee. The bread was fresh and sweet. And I have to say, my favorite was the fruits! They were so fresh and sweet!!! I always notice that Disney tend to have great fruit! Yum~~~

Next, we brought warm plate of scrambled eggs, sausages, bacons, biscuit, and potato edges. I don't eat biscuit. I never liked them for some reason. So besides biscuit, I had little helpings of everything and everything was yummy. The scrambled eggs were cooked to perfections, moist and soft. The sausages had lots of flavor and were juicy. The bacon is usual Disney bacon and I actually like it. The potato edges had seasoning that tasted great!

Soon, we got our Mickey waffle fix! It was crunch outside and soft inside and tasted good!

While we ate, all the characters, starting with Stitch, Lilo, Pluto, and Mickey came out. The character interaction was the best here during our trip. Stitch was very naughty and funny and Lilo was sweet and so nice.

We were near where the characters first came out, so we met them pretty quickly without much wait. We were finished with our breakfast by 8:20. I quickly paid for our bill, and used one adult dining credit and paid for DS's child in cash along with tip. Bill came out to 35.12 and we left $10 tip since the server came around a few times during the character stop and she took pictures of DS and me together. I really appreciated that kind gesture!

We'll definitely return to Ohana breakfast but I'll probably break it up so once in 2~3 trips. Sadly, DS (8) is getting out of that character stage.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Glad the check in went smoothly but oh no on the ticket situation - definitely not the way you want to start a trip.

La Hacienda looks yummy! A shame that the kids meals weren't up to par but the adult meals look great and your descriptions had me drooling!

We never made it to O'hanas on this trip but I want to go for breakfast/dinner. Lilo n Stitch sure are a hoot!

 

[librarygeek]

Ohana looks great - I'd really like to get there for dinner sometime as the food looks so good - I'm not much of a breakfast eater! I bet Stitch was a lot of fun. I'm scared of him though I went on Stitch's Great Escape when I was younger, and even though it's not supposed to be nearly as scary as Alien Encounter was it certainly terrified me. I dunno, I haven't been able to really like Stitch since then

 

[PixieMama]

Those Mickey waffles look sooooo good. And I agree with you about the fruit... I've never had bad fruit while at WDW! My sister kept making fun of me for getting grapes at every buffet, but I told her she could laugh all she wanted, the fruit was yummy!

 

[mousegear]

Glad the check in went smoothly but oh no on the ticket situation - definitely not the way you want to start a trip.

La Hacienda looks yummy! A shame that the kids meals weren't up to par but the adult meals look great and your descriptions had me drooling!

We never made it to O'hanas on this trip but I want to go for breakfast/dinner. Lilo n Stitch sure are a hoot!

Tix situation was very frustrating. I was keep looking at my watch and just wanted to get out of there.
Anyways, we did both dinner breakfast at Ohanas this trip. Both times, we had great food, and excellent service. Our seats both times had castle view, which is a plus. However, I think I could skip next time around. There are so many restaurants at WDW, and we only have limited time.

Ohana looks great - I'd really like to get there for dinner sometime as the food looks so good - I'm not much of a breakfast eater! I bet Stitch was a lot of fun. I'm scared of him though I went on Stitch's Great Escape when I was younger, and even though it's not supposed to be nearly as scary as Alien Encounter was it certainly terrified me. I dunno, I haven't been able to really like Stitch since then

We also had dinner at Ohanas and I have to say, the best service during our trip. We also don't eat a tone for breakfast but since touring the parks takes lots of energy, we make a point to eat breakfast while at WDW.

Alien Encounter was much more terrifying than Stitch's Great Escape. However, Stitch at Ohanas is cute and naughty! DS really enjoyed meeting Stitch.

Those Mickey waffles look sooooo good. And I agree with you about the fruit... I've never had bad fruit while at WDW! My sister kept making fun of me for getting grapes at every buffet, but I told her she could laugh all she wanted, the fruit was yummy!

I try to have much fruit as possible at WDW. Fruit at WDW is crisp, sweet and fresh. YUM~~~

 

[mousegear]

After Ohanas, we headed to Epcot. Our usual first full day park is Epcot. DS wanted to get stamps around World Showcase on his passport. Also this day, my CM friend joined for the morning. We quickly met up and entered just after the opening ceremony. We walked into every ride without any wait and some we rode multiple times. Around 11:30, we said "Good-bye" to my CM friend, and headed towards WS. It was scorching hot so I decided to see if they could seat us early (around noon) for our 1pm ADR. The CM at front podium said that we could check-in but cannot guarantee that we are going to be seated early. That was fine with us. We were given buzzer and grabbed a bench to rest and cool down. We maybe waited 5 minutes before the buzzer went off. The restaurant had maybe 10~15 seats occupied at that point. We were quickly shown to our seat and our server came and got our drink order.

We both ordered Niagara Refresher which is mango smoothie. We had this drink before and it's covered by DDP.

Our bread basket came quickly. We love the pretzel bread and also like sourdough bread. We ordered bowl of famous Cheddar Cheese Soup to share.

Our waitress brought ours already split into two smaller bowls. DS ordered New York Strip Steak medium served with creamcheese mashed potato.

He said that the steak tasted really gread! He gave a piece and it's was very good.

I ordered my favorite dish which is Mushroom Filet medium and subbed for cream cheese mashed potato. I had risotto last time, and it was a bit salty for my taste but mashed potato as creamy and soft and just right for me. The filet was melt in your mouth good!

After clearing our plates once again, we were stuffed. However, DS wanted to try their seasonal sorbet which was raspberry. Also our server brought make-your-sundae to celebrate DS's birthday.

DS had lots of fun decorating his sundae and Raspberry Sorbet was very refreshing after full meal.

Our bill total came out to be $87.16 including the soup (6.99 OOP) and we used 2 TS credits. We left $20 tip here. Our server was right on time for everything and came around many times to check on us!
I read so many mixed reviews on Disboard for Le Cellier ever since it became signature restaurant, but we could not find anything different from last year. I don't know about splurging 2 TS credits for dinner but we were very satisfied with using 1 TS credit for lunch and we will definitely return in the future. It may not be Shula's or very upscale steakhouse but it's one of the best TS restaurant in the park for us.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

We also enjoyed Le Cellier this past trip. We did have dinner and the 2 credits didn't bother us since we had the DxDDP but I don't know that it is up there with the Yachtsman, Cali Grille or Flying Fish. I did enjoy our meal better than Jiko or Artist Point but that is probably because I love the mushroom filet. We just didn't notice a big change from past meals and this one.

We are going to give lunch a try next year.

 

[mousegear]

After our full and delish meal at Le Cellier, we started our tour of World Showcase. We had lots of fun stopping at each kidcot to get DS's passport stamped. At some point during our tour, DS got a Strawberry Fruit Bar and a bottle of Powerade to cool us down. I forgot to take a picture but you know what they look like. My original plan this day was maybe go around WS counter-clock wise to Japan until 1/1:30pm and take a boat from Morocco across the lagoon. So that we can cool down alittle by the pool and take a rest/nap before we head out for our dinner ADR at Kona and Wishes Dessert Party. However, DS was having lots of fun at kidcot and buying souvies, he wanted to continue and finish the WS. Who am I to argue? So I cancelled our Kona ADR using my iPhonne and we finished our touring around 3:30pm.

We got back to the resort for much needed rest and cooled down a bit by swimming. We were incredibly hungry by 5pm and decided to go down to Sassagoula for CS meal. Well, both of us looked around for a option but could not find anything we would like to eat. DS came out with an idea. He wanted to go to Riverside Mill to get Create-your-own-pasta. So we got our park bags ready and headed over to Riverside Mill. It's a short walk as it is but we took our car so that we could go to MK right after our meal. We wanted to make sure that we have some room for yummy desserts later so we decided to share this CS.

We got spaghetti and alfredo sauce with broccoli and shrimp. This is a dish they make it when you order, so it taste very hot and fresh. The shrimp was tender and juicy, and broccoli was perfectly cooked to crispy crunch. This also came with a stick of garlic bread which DS ate the whole thing without sharing. He said that it was very, very good. We got a bottle of orange soda to wash down our food and Mickey Rice Crispy Treat for dessert which we saved for later since we were heading to the Dessert Party.

 

[mousegear]

We also enjoyed Le Cellier this past trip. We did have dinner and the 2 credits didn't bother us since we had the DxDDP but I don't know that it is up there with the Yachtsman, Cali Grille or Flying Fish. I did enjoy our meal better than Jiko or Artist Point but that is probably because I love the mushroom filet. We just didn't notice a big change from past meals and this one.

We are going to give lunch a try next year.

I totally agree with you that Yachtsman, CG, and FF have much better steaks than Le Cellier. However, in my opinion, it's one of the best "in-park" restaurant. I like the convenience that we don't have to get out of the park to eat and Le Cellier is a great choice if you are in Epcot. Especially for lunch it's only 1TS credit so you cannot beat that for people who have regular DDP. I know that we'll definitely return to LeCellier.

 

[Shleedogg]

$69 for multiple days?? What is your secret? I only need a car for airport - Universal - return to Disney - less than 48 hrs and the cheapest quote I got was for $53.

Sorry about your sandwich at Starbucks. Prepackaged sandwiches always scare me.

Now I return to read the rest of your review

 

[TanzUnited99]

Love your review of Le Cellier - the food pics had me drooling! Also that mango smoothie looks so refreshing Another one to add to the wishlist. I would probably choose lunch over dinner as well.

I'm guessing cancelling the Kona ADR was a smart move esp if you were going to the Wishes Dessert Party. Can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[PixieMama]

Oh, Le Cellier. Maybe one day I'll get a chance to dine there... everything looks amazing!

 

[Linda67]

I have seen lots of great reviews for the make your own pasta

I'd love to try it one day

 

[mousegear]

$69 for multiple days?? What is your secret? I only need a car for airport - Universal - return to Disney - less than 48 hrs and the cheapest quote I got was for $53.

Sorry about your sandwich at Starbucks. Prepackaged sandwiches always scare me.

Now I return to read the rest of your review

Thank you for reading. I thought it was a great deal especially for premium level car which we did not need but great since it was the best deal. I usually like to rent from National/Alamo since I'm member of both companies. With 20% member discount and $40 coupon, it came down to $69 including taxes and fees.

Love your review of Le Cellier - the food pics had me drooling! Also that mango smoothie looks so refreshing Another one to add to the wishlist. I would probably choose lunch over dinner as well.

I'm guessing cancelling the Kona ADR was a smart move esp if you were going to the Wishes Dessert Party. Can't wait to hear all about it!

Le Cellier was great as usual. We always had great food and excellent service there.

Now that I look back, cancelling Kona ADR worked best for us. It would have been too much food since we don't eat alot in portion size. However, I missed going to Kona this trip so I'm going to make an effort next trip.

Oh, Le Cellier. Maybe one day I'll get a chance to dine there... everything looks amazing!

Le Cellier is one of our favorite TS restaurant in WDW. I don't think I'm going to splurge 2TS credits for dinner on regular DDP but as long as it's 1TS credit for lunch, we will continue going there. For 2TS credit, I rather spend it own Cali Grill, Yachtsman's, Flying Fish, Jiko, etc.

I have seen lots of great reviews for the make your own pasta

I'd love to try it one day

We've had make your own pasta several times in the past and it's always great. I guess the key to good CS is that they make it as you order.

 

[mousegear]

After our quick CS meal at Riverside, I drove to MK. This night MK had evening EMH but our plan was just attend Wishes Dessert Party and get back to resort. DCuz's plane supposed arrive at 9pm so we planned to meet him back at the resort. We got to MK around 6:30pm so we hung out in Tomorrow Land doing some rides and shows until 7:45. It was definitely crowded but doable. When we got to Tomorrow Land Noodle Terrace, there was already line formed for check-in and we were about 10 families behind. Soon, CMs came around to check the list and we were shown to our table. Our table was actually very front of the terrace and Tinkerbell landed right above us. Now to desserts......

First two dishes, DS already picked-on the fruits off the fruit tarts.
Chocolate covered strawberries were very juicy and good. Tiramisu was also good. Fruit Tarts' custard creme was little too sweet for us so we picked on fruits and the base was crunch. The chocolate moose was rich and very smooth. DS ended up eating both. Mango Shooter was too sweet and thick so we didn't care for it. Creme Brulee was ok. We had better ones else where. DS said that chocolate chip cookie was ok also. I had some Jasmine tea to drink and DS had a glass of cold milk. They also had various hot and cold beverages. It was actually very relaxing to eat yummy desserts and watch electrical parade floats and enjoy the night scene of the castle. I took some pictures of new Memories castle show.

When the wishes started, many people moved up to the railing but we just stayed in our seats and could still see the whole thing clearly. I didn't bother taking pictures since it's hard to capture fire works with a camera and I'm pretty sure you fellow Disers have seen them plenty on this board. As Wishes finished, we ducked into Main St shops and quickly exited out of MK.
This whole thing cost around $40 (1 adult and 1 child) and had to be prepaid at the time of booking. Will we do it again? Probably. But not every trip. Lots of people say that it's too expensive for the dessert. I also think so but it's the experience and we could say that we've done it. The best thing about it is that you don't have to fight the crowd and that's what I needed since it was just DS and me this trip. It gave us freedom to eat and go to restroom since we didn't have extra adult to hold down our seats.

 

[TanzUnited99]

What a great review of the Wishes Dessert Party!

I soo wanted to attend this event and can't wait to experience it on a future trip. Love the dessert pics - they look so yummy and had me drooling!

 

[librarygeek]

I really wish I had gotten the create your own pasta at the Rivermill! We ate lunch there one day and I was actually standing on line to get it, and then realized we were eating at Tony's that night and I would probably have pasta overload. So I switched and got a chicken sandwich, which turned out to be my most disappointing meal of the trip.

But I loved those desserts! Looks like you guys saved plenty of room It was definitely a good idea to just split a CS meal beforehand!

 

[Moira222]

hi Mousegear! I just stumbled upon your DR and got hooked.

I KWYM about 8 YO appetites. Our DD definitely enjoyed the CS meals more because you're not tied to kids meal for them (though they don't tell you that!) - we did quite a few buffets for TS so that she could have more than pizza or chicken nuggets

I"m curious about something - you upgraded DS to an adult ticket & dp, so why did you have to pay OOP when he ordered kids meal at La Hacienda ? seems to me that they should have been able to deduct a meal -or did you not want them to? its a bummer that his meal was not so great there. I'm curious if you've eaten at San Angel? My BFF who is traveling w /us in june has requested mexican, we have never eaten at either place. maybe we'll just go to Pepper Market

Have you done TIW before? is it a good deal?

Looking forward to reading on!

 

[mousegear]

What a great review of the Wishes Dessert Party!

I soo wanted to attend this event and can't wait to experience it on a future trip. Love the dessert pics - they look so yummy and had me drooling!

We did enjoy civilized crowd level and the while atmosphere of the party. It was definitely more relaxing than somewhere near the castle. I'm don't really eat desserts normally but for the party, I went all out and tried everything that was offered. Most treats were good!!!

I really wish I had gotten the create your own pasta at the Rivermill! We ate lunch there one day and I was actually standing on line to get it, and then realized we were eating at Tony's that night and I would probably have pasta overload. So I switched and got a chicken sandwich, which turned out to be my most disappointing meal of the trip.

But I loved those desserts! Looks like you guys saved plenty of room It was definitely a good idea to just split a CS meal beforehand!

I have to say that create your own pasta was one of the best CS meals we have during that week. I think we always eat at least once during our trip at Riverside Mill so that we could have the pasta.

hi Mousegear! I just stumbled upon your DR and got hooked.

I KWYM about 8 YO appetites. Our DD definitely enjoyed the CS meals more because you're not tied to kids meal for them (though they don't tell you that!) - we did quite a few buffets for TS so that she could have more than pizza or chicken nuggets

I"m curious about something - you upgraded DS to an adult ticket & dp, so why did you have to pay OOP when he ordered kids meal at La Hacienda ? seems to me that they should have been able to deduct a meal -or did you not want them to? its a bummer that his meal was not so great there. I'm curious if you've eaten at San Angel? My BFF who is traveling w /us in june has requested mexican, we have never eaten at either place. maybe we'll just go to Pepper Market

Have you done TIW before? is it a good deal?

Looking forward to reading on!

Yes, I upgraded DS's tix to adult so that he could have adult meals which he does really enjoy. However, when we looked through menus of restaurants online, DS sometimes picked out of kids menu of what he's going to eat. Those are actually restaurants that offered something different than usual pizza/chicken nuggets on the menu. So I decided to pay OOP (using TIW) for some of the cheaper meals and extend adult TS credits since I made quit more ADRs than alloted TS credits we've received. It took little bit of calculations but I saved a tone by doing that and we ate at more TS (which we enjoy more than CS).

We are also making at least one week long trip that's schedule for Aug, 2012 (which is within a year). For coming Aug trip, we (12 family members) are staying off site so I figure TIW will help out alot. Also, we did order quit alot of adult beverages and sometimes appetizers during our trip so 20% discount always helps. The cost of TIW for annual pass members is $75. I haven't done exact calculations but we at least hit close to the cost this trip. So any use of TIW in the future is pure savings.

 

[mousegear]

DCuz arrived later than we anticipated b/c his plane was 25 minutes delayed. He arrived at the lobby at 10:30pm and he was starving since he hasn't had his dinner yet. We grabbed food at the food court as it was getting ready to close down for the night. We didn't have much choice as most stations were already closed so he got penne with alfredo and chicken. I think for drink, he got Fuse mango/orange and for dessert, Mickey Rice Crispy. We took the food back to the room and he ate it with a bottle of Corona. He said that it's the best tasting pasta ever but I think his hunger helped since it didn't look that good to me. Sorry no picture!


Next morning we got up around 7am and got ready and headed down to the food court for quick breakfast. We are not really big breakfast people but at Disney, we always had breakfast since it takes lots of energy to tour the parks. We ordered used 2 CS credits and shared among three of us. I already had my Starbucks coffee brewed in the room and had it on to-go cup. DS also had a cup of his favorite brand milk on to-go cup. This morning we ordered Mickey Waffle with strawberries and Bounty Platter. While ordering Bounty Platter, I asked the server not to include the biscuit since no one in our party likes it. She gave me an extra mini Mickey Waffle instead. We picked a bottle of Minute Maid orange juice and DCuz got a can of monster Energy drink for extra caffein.

We all were very starving and everything tasted fine. Strawberries were fresh, ripe and sweet. I actually didn't bother with syrup and just ate my waffle with the strawberries. Scrambled egg was soft and hot. Mickey Waffles were warm and tasty also. DS ate all the sausage and bacon, and actually he likes Disney bacon. I know that many people complain about bacon at Disney but DS actually likes them. The two portion was just right for three of us.

We used 2 CS credit but the cost came to be $21.58.