Coffee on the Verandah -The Last Slide, Recap & Souvies 5/29 - Link to Aulani TR 5/31

[glennbo123]

That's great that Jeff was able to take care of any leftover cheesecake. I'd have helped if I was there too...I hate to see anything like that go to waste.

I'm so glad that you guys got to go to the Top of the World Lounge! I remember seeing that they opened it up to people staying at other DVC resorts for a while. I'm not sure if they're still permitting others to do it, but it's great that you got to experience it. I went while on a BLT tour when it first opened.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

watching wishes from there sounds good, we have seen it many times from on top of the contemporary and loved it there.

those glasses are cool, we got some that have that same shape from the food and wine festival this year and love them.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

What a great gift for Kendall! Anxious to hear all about it.

Never ate at the Wave. Food looks good. Glad you enjoyed it.

I love watching the fireworks from the lounge at BLT. We have stayed there twice and that is one of my favorite parts. BTW, children can go in the lounge. Jeremy likes to go order a soda in there.

Can't wait to read about your AK day.

Oh, just showed Jeremy the pictures of the cranes and he was estatic. Tom is on a squad run so he will have to see tomorrow. He is going to be excited as well.

 

[eandesmom]

So cool!

I would love this for a present, as would Brooklynn, when she gets older.

Oh it's a wonderful thing, I'd have liked to go and the E's were most jealous. I'll talk about it in more detail but it was a great experience and in the big picture of Disney tours, pretty reasonable.

What a neat present for Kendall! I can't wait to hear what she thought of it!

I will cover it in more detail. A little hard as I wasn't there but I did get some scoop!

Yeay for the souvenir gods bestowing more money -- I wondered if that would happen. LOL.

I struggled with that one and ended up lowering the amount earlier in the trip so the total felt right. I didn't want sad kids begging who had spend all their money.

And there would have been. At least 2 of them!

I have never read a bad review of The Wave -- everyone always seems to really enjoy it.

Seeing the fireworks from that vantage point is the perfect way to end the day!!!

It was a lovely evening all around

Awesome! Gave me a chuckle, but since I would pick wawa coffee over starbucks any day I tend to agree.

Having never had wawa coffee I can't confirm one way or another. I have, of course, had my share of Starbucks and have a lot of opinions on that subject. LOL!

Really, all I want is the Main Street Bakery to stay the same.

I want it the same, but with drinkable coffee. Frankly I'd be thrilled if it were JUST drinkable coffee and no espresso drinks. For multiple reasons.

1. Speed of service. Pouring a cup of coffee is VASTLY faster than making espresso drinks, even if it is out of a machine versus a traditional barista hand made drink.

2. Speed of service. Oh wait. I said that. But seriously, it's huge difference. MSB gets such a backlog as it is, a cart for espresso based beverages that just has that would be a more efficient supplement.

3. Coffee is king. Seriously. For once I would like a place that focuses on a good cup of coffee, nothing more and nothing less. As a black coffee drinker I get tired of feeling like a second class citizen. The reality is that the profit margins are significantly larger on the espresso beverages and well, it shows. Good coffee. A variety. It shouldn't be so hard.

Off.soapbox.now.

I have eaten at the Wave (dinner) three times and have consistently great meals each time. Your entrees look really yummy! I agree the ambiance is just "eh", but the food is good and its a great place to have dinner if you drive there because you can walk to the MK and right back to your car. Score!

My kids are fans of the dinning plan too. It really works very well for teens and tweens.

It does. I don't see though how they can remotely complain it saves anything anymore. Even if you maximize the dollar value of where you use it at, at best case, you break even. I'd love to see the math where it says you still save 20%. Breaking even isn't necessarily a bad thing but in many cases, you spend more now and frankly that makes me sad. I'm not sure if it is b/c they built in the cost of that darn mug or what but I just can't see justifying it on the next trip which bums my kids out to no end.

Do you know if DVC members can still go to the TOTWL lounge? I seriously wouldn't mind going up there this summer. Do you need to be staying on property is my second question? Boy am I going to miss staying on property, but I'll survive.

I think Jeff deserves several martinis after it taking hours to return the rental car.

Was Kendall thrilled when she got her present? I can't wait to see what they both thought about it.

Yes, but you need to check black out dates. There really aren't that many though and you have to be staying on property. So, you can go in Oct but prob not in June. Pool hopping has far more blackouts than TOWL.

He did deserve several, not sure if he had more than the one. She was intrigued by the present and seemed excited (as excited as she gets lol).

YES, the TotWL is still open to all DVC members. There are just a few blockout days, which are actually main holidays.
You need to stay on property though. They will check for your blue DVC card and your room key to ANY WDW resort.

Ditto, and they do check both and will do a headcount of whom you are bringing. I am not sure if there is a guest limit, they didn't check everyones KTTW, just mine and my member card.

 

[eandesmom]

We have a dinner ADR at The Wave for our upcoming trip and I was happy to read that you all enjoyed your meal there. The food you ordered looked really good.

it was!

What a great 16th birthday gift for Kendall! I bet she was over the moon happy since, like you said, she's thinking of being a vet. I'm trying to come up with something "cool" for Hunter's 16th B-Day in the World but haven't decided yet.

Well I don't think she is still thinking of being a vet (not because of the tour though) but is passionate about animals and it was a good fit. The illuminations cruise was magical, though spendy and a pretty neat group activity. I did like this being really something that was just for her and all about her.

Definitely. That might be the best decision you've made all day.

He'd earned it, no doubt!

Ok, that's a pretty cool birthday gift. And I'm sure Jeff didn't mind tagging along either.

He was pretty excited about it too

Glad to see a good review! It definitely does fly under the radar. It is a place I've thought of trying, but it just always seems to lose out to another option.

We'd had the same situation more than once and I'm glad I just made an executive decision on it, it worked out really well.

I'm sure it is something to behold from Top of the World, but you need to see it from the park. Yeah, the crowd sucks, but there's just something about standing there in the MK and soaking up that atmosphere.

We have, just not in years. This absolutely suited our mood. For whatever reason the whole clan LOVES illuminations and if given a choice, always wants that, not Wishes. I love it all so I'm good either way.

Did he hit any curbs or run over anybody?

LOL! No. He actually doesn't drive. Or walk for that matter. Long story but a pretty cantankerous soul. The anti CM.

That's great that Jeff was able to take care of any leftover cheesecake. I'd have helped if I was there too...I hate to see anything like that go to waste.

A man after Jeff's heart.

He felt pretty gross after eating all of it. And he did. Eat all of it.

I'm so glad that you guys got to go to the Top of the World Lounge! I remember seeing that they opened it up to people staying at other DVC resorts for a while. I'm not sure if they're still permitting others to do it, but it's great that you got to experience it. I went while on a BLT tour when it first opened.

They are on most nights actually, seems to be a permanent DVC benefit, at least through 2013 except for a few blackout nights as long as you are staying on property.

watching wishes from there sounds good, we have seen it many times from on top of the contemporary and loved it there.

It was lovely. Far away and in some ways I liked it better from the GF marina but it was a neat experience and I"m glad we did it. Jeff really loved it.

those glasses are cool, we got some that have that same shape from the food and wine festival this year and love them.

I almost bought the F&W set but figured they shouldn't go in the dishwasher with the painted decal so decided they weren't practical enough.

What a great gift for Kendall! Anxious to hear all about it.

It was fun to give an "experience" versus another overpriced outfit.

Never ate at the Wave. Food looks good. Glad you enjoyed it.

I love watching the fireworks from the lounge at BLT. We have stayed there twice and that is one of my favorite parts. BTW, children can go in the lounge. Jeremy likes to go order a soda in there.

Great food and we enjoyed TOWL. How is the view from inside compared to outside?

Can't wait to read about your AK day.

Oh, just showed Jeremy the pictures of the cranes and he was estatic. Tom is on a squad run so he will have to see tomorrow. He is going to be excited as well.

Loved those cranes, she really made me smile every time I saw her!

 

[KatMark]

Mark and I have often wondered about The Wave and your pictures are making us think about it for December. The food looks yummy.

What a way to cap the evening...with fireworks from BLT! You got some really great shots of the fireworks.

What a nice gift for DD.

 

[eandesmom]

Mark and I have often wondered about The Wave and your pictures are making us think about it for December. The food looks yummy.

What a way to cap the evening...with fireworks from BLT! You got some really great shots of the fireworks.

What a nice gift for DD.

I would think you guys would like it a lot and in December, what a great location with out traveling a ton.

It was a really fun night, a lovely lovely end to a long but full day.

 

[Poolrat]

Once we ordered, we had a few goodies to pass out.

First up, the birthday girl. You didn't really think all you were getting for your 16th was a pedicure did you? Nope, she was getting the Backstage Safari Tour, with Jeff. You have to be 16 to go on this so she was just making the cut off in time!

In case you can't tell it is a picture of the vet tables, as it was a behind the scenes tour or "A fascinating 3-hour look at how Disney Cast Members tend to the 1,500-plus inhabitants of Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. " For a girl thinking about veterinary school, it was the perfect gift.

So cool!

I would love this for a present, as would Brooklynn, when she gets older.

I got that tour for Jennifer when she turned 16. She enjoyed it. I may have been more excited that she was at times but she is kind of "low energy"

Chris got the Segway tour. He liked that one too.


I did have a great dinner at the Wave. Would not say it surprised me but it sort of did. Great service and I did like the trios of desserts. Made me not feel so guilty, I got three to try so I did not have to decide too much, except to figure out which three I wanted.



Still have to make it to the top of the World. {sigh} Someday but Poly beach seems to usually win out.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I love the view of Wishes from TOTWL!! I agree- very calm and relaxing. Our kids were allowed into the lounge while we waited. We just got soda and water but we were able to sit in one of the little side "rooms". Very cool!!
I can't believe you haven't seen Wishes from MK!! Crazy! You must rectify that (although it's yucky for the crowds!).

The Wave food looked good! Very cool birthday gift for Kendall, I'd love to hear about that tour. Hope they still have it in oh, about 4 years when Sarah hits 16. She's ALL about animals!!
I think you all had a pretty great day - busy exhausting and mostly fun!

 

[scottny]

That does sound like a long time to get off the ship and the shuttle.
Mara is so good. Love that place.
Yeah for the Savannah view.
Glad they swam.
Never could be tired of seeing giraffes.
The Wave is a good restaurant. Only had 1 bad thing there and it wasn’t really bad just described wrong.
December I am going to have to remember to go to TOTWL. I always forget.
All caught up again.

 

[englishrose47]

I have eaten at the Wave twice and the food was good both times !!I am pretty sure I had the steak both times !! I know I had different trios for desset but have no idea what the y were !! Very cool birthday surprise for K !!!

 

[eandesmom]

I got that tour for Jennifer when she turned 16. She enjoyed it. I may have been more excited that she was at times but she is kind of "low energy"

Hmmm maybe that's Kendall's style. "low energy" I think though for her it's more of an innate shyness, she's just not demonstrative in general, happy or sad.

Chris got the Segway tour. He liked that one too.

Eric would like that one.

I did have a great dinner at the Wave. Would not say it surprised me but it sort of did. Great service and I did like the trios of desserts. Made me not feel so guilty, I got three to try so I did not have to decide too much, except to figure out which three I wanted.

It always seems like I am interested in 1-2 out of the 3 but not all 3. I'd only heard good things about The Wave but wasn't sure what the family would think. They definitely liked it although for the kids I do think the (lack of) ambiance played a factor and as a result not on a top list for them to go back to, only as there are other places they like better. Out of the restaurants from this trip that were new (all of them lol) Olivia's won hands down. Go figure.

Still have to make it to the top of the World. {sigh} Someday but Poly beach seems to usually win out.

I'd never have guessed that

I love the view of Wishes from TOTWL!! I agree- very calm and relaxing. Our kids were allowed into the lounge while we waited. We just got soda and water but we were able to sit in one of the little side "rooms". Very cool!!
I can't believe you haven't seen Wishes from MK!! Crazy! You must rectify that (although it's yucky for the crowds!).

Oh I have, just not recently with the kids. I have many times over the years and we did in 2004 with the E's (but they don't remember). In 2009 we had horrid timing with dinners and changing fireworks times and missed almost all of them as a result. 2010 we saw it from the GF, again, timing. 2012...didn't go into MK so TOWL was our only option other than the Poly Beach. I think we wrecked them a little with the Illuminations cruise and that's why they love it so much. Spoiled rotten monsters!

The Wave food looked good! Very cool birthday gift for Kendall, I'd love to hear about that tour. Hope they still have it in oh, about 4 years when Sarah hits 16. She's ALL about animals!!
I think you all had a pretty great day - busy exhausting and mostly fun!

They've had the tour for several years I think so I bet they still will in 4 more. It was a pretty great day!

That does sound like a long time to get off the ship and the shuttle.
Mara is so good. Love that place.
Yeah for the Savannah view.
Glad they swam.
Never could be tired of seeing giraffes.
The Wave is a good restaurant. Only had 1 bad thing there and it wasn’t really bad just described wrong.
December I am going to have to remember to go to TOTWL. I always forget.
All caught up again.

It was too long to get off the ship and do the shuttle. Big drag. Check the blackout dates in Dec, there are some but it's not awful. We are there 12/29 to 1/7 and we will be able to do it at the end of the trip with everyone and definitely plan to.

Never too many Giraffes!

I have eaten at the Wave twice and the food was good both times !!I am pretty sure I had the steak both times !! I know I had different trios for desset but have no idea what the y were !! Very cool birthday surprise for K !!!

The steak was fabulous. Kendall was pretty excited about her gift, it was cute.

 

[Poolrat]

Hmmm maybe that's Kendall's style. "low energy" I think though for her it's more of an innate shyness, she's just not demonstrative in general, happy or sad.

I cannot remember who or how she got that term "low energy" but for her at times it fits. With Jennifer, she can be very detached and well flat, emotion wise. She has and kind of still does need lots of sleep.
Since she has becone a night shift person she is a bit better. Her birthday trip with me to Disney had lots of down time.... She would get tired easily and getting up for the tour ( 8am ) and 3 hours about wore her out.

Eric would like that one.

I made Chris do the free demo ( when they had it ) before I booked it. The boy never really learned how to ride a bike so I feared this might be met with some unwillingness to "ride" and have to learn a skill.
He did great and we were lucky - the CM running the tours ( LaMonte) was also at the free demo so a bond was formed early. He really helped Chris out to chill out and enjoy and not stress over having to lern how to ride the Segway.

It always seems like I am interested in 1-2 out of the 3 but not all 3. I'd only heard good things about The Wave but wasn't sure what the family would think. They definitely liked it although for the kids I do think the (lack of) ambiance played a factor and as a result not on a top list for them to go back to, only as there are other places they like better. Out of the restaurants from this trip that were new (all of them lol) Olivia's won hands down. Go figure.

Only got in an Olivia's breakfast but I need to make time to do it right. It was post half-marathon and well other than it being food I don't remember too much.

I'd never have guessed that

What can I say - I am predictable....

 

[rndmr2]

Great update! The Wave is on my shot list of ones I want to try sometime. Love the pics from the Top of the World, I love Wishes, your pics weren't too bad, I kind of like those squiggly fireworks pics, they look cool.

Do they pipe in the music for Wishes up there?

 

[eandesmom]

I cannot remember who or how she got that term "low energy" but for her at times it fits. With Jennifer, she can be very detached and well flat, emotion wise. She has and kind of still does need lots of sleep.

Ambivalent is the emotion that K seems to channel. With the sleep she can go go go but when she crashes, it's HARD.

I made Chris do the free demo ( when they had it ) before I booked it. The boy never really learned how to ride a bike so I feared this might be met with some unwillingness to "ride" and have to learn a skill.
He did great and we were lucky - the CM running the tours ( LaMonte) was also at the free demo so a bond was formed early. He really helped Chris out to chill out and enjoy and not stress over having to lern how to ride the Segway.

Free Demo is a great idea, I believe all the Segway tours are cancelled. I would love to do a 16th trip with each but I'm not sure that's going to work out. We will see.

Only got in an Olivia's breakfast but I need to make time to do it right. It was post half-marathon and well other than it being food I don't remember too much.

Dinner was outstanding, I would like to try it for breakfast as well at some point.

What can I say - I am predictable....

And there is nothing wrong with that!

Great update! The Wave is on my shot list of ones I want to try sometime. Love the pics from the Top of the World, I love Wishes, your pics weren't too bad, I kind of like those squiggly fireworks pics, they look cool.

Do they pipe in the music for Wishes up there?

They do pipe in the music, I loved that. They also piped it in over at the GF and it really does add a lot. I liked the squiggly ones as well, I did skip posting the truly blurry as all get out ones but the squiggly made me smile.

 

[carissanboys]

Looks like another wonderful meal! Your description of Kona is exactly how I felt about it. I could see myself trying The Wave with just adults for the yummy food.

What an awesome gift for Kendall. Can't wait to hear how she enjoyed it.

 

[eandesmom]

Looks like another wonderful meal! Your description of Kona is exactly how I felt about it. I could see myself trying The Wave with just adults for the yummy food.

What an awesome gift for Kendall. Can't wait to hear how she enjoyed it.

I keep debating about whether to have Kona on our maybe list for exactly that reason but it is darn good food!

I am glad we went to the wave, it was the perfect trip for it.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Haven't had much time to comment this week--trying to catch up!

Looks like it was a very nice evening. Love the fireworks pictures--what a view!

 

[eandesmom]

Haven't had much time to comment this week--trying to catch up!

Looks like it was a very nice evening. Love the fireworks pictures--what a view!

I know that feeling! It was a very nice evening, just relaxed and enjoyable and the view was pretty nice too!

 

[Disney9.9.10]

Sounds like you had a great night! The Wave is awesome, I really enjoyed it there. It is hard to photograph though! Great shots of the fireworks - I'd love to stay at CR and see them from my balcony! The doors at AKL really are heavy, aren't they?