Coming to you Live from Disney World!-Take 2 AUG/SEPT WINNERS ANNOUNCED

[jabead]

I would like to be a live reporter. I had a different dates plan (Oct). Now we are going Nov 2 until Nov 7th. My travel companion is my sil/best friend and this is HER FIRST TRIP!

Thanks for volunteering and welcome to the November team!

Hi there

Sent you a PM about being a reporter again in September (21-29). Details of the trip are in my PM, let me know if you have a need for those dates

I'm sorry but I didn't get your PM. Did you already send it?

 

[roxysmum123]

I'm sorry but I didn't get your PM. Did you already send it?

Yes, weird! I will resend

 

[Niki Andiokno]

I am excited to be going back for food and wine festival October 12 through October 19 with DH and BFF. We are actually doing some food and wine activities. I have always wanted to do these. Here is our food lineup:

TS

Ros & Crown dining room
Rose & Crown Pub lunch
La Hacienda De San Angel
Il Mulino
Restaurant Marrakesh
Jiko wine tasting
Grand Floridian Tea
Kimono's
Via Napoli
Tambu lounge

CS

WPE
Tangerine Cafe
Captain Cooke's
Staring Rolls
Columbia Harbor House

Food& Wine Activities

Swan & Dolphin Food & Wine Classic
Fritz Sonnenschmidt culinary demo
Pascal Oudin demo
B&B French wine club demo
Danile Crenshaw demo
Adam Mali demo

I am so excited to be a live reporter again.

 

[jabead]

Our next update received on Wednesday (yes, I'm that far behind ) was a two-part snack update from Gin0818.



Part I was from Magic Kingdom's...






She said, "It's so hot we didn't end up eating much today. We did grab a snack to share...



Fruit and Nutella Waffle, along with a milk for Jill and a diet coke for me. It was yummy."




"Now we are at Epcot (Italy) waiting for our dinner reservation enjoying a glass of...



Fior D' Arancio Moscato, while Jill colors her Duffy at the Kidcot stop. It was very refreshing and sweet." ​

2 August Game Points Earned + 1 Bonus Point for sign

 

[Chavaleh]

Just a reminder that next up to the Disney Dining Plate is...​

Chavaleh





Chavaleh will be at Disney World from 8/24 - 9/1 and has volunteered to again do live updates for us!





HAVE A GREAT TRIP, Chavaleh!!! ​

omg omg omg omg I am currently running around in circles like a puppy chasing its tail. Well alternating between that and be scared to bits of the flight tomorrow (haven't flown in yearssssssss). Pardon me while I go explode into Mickey confetti.

 

[dvc4life]

Wow, did I ever fall behind in this thread. So many posts and so many yummy dining experiences. Loved all of them. And the DisMeets looked like fun.

And, we will again be heading back to WDW in October and would love to send live updates. That is if you need another reporter. Our dates are October 23-27. We will be doing MNSSHP and lots of Food & Wine. My favorite time of year to be at Disney.

So, again many thanks Barb and Rachel for the awesome job you do to keep this thread going. Like many have said it is a highlight of my day.

 

[jabead]

Yes, weird! I will resend

Got it this time and sent you a reply!

I am excited to be going back for food and wine festival October 12 through October 19 with DH and BFF. We are actually doing some food and wine activities.
I am so excited to be a live reporter again.

Hi Niki and welcome to the October team! I'll get your trip added to the list right away.

And, we will again be heading back to WDW in October and would love to send live updates. That is if you need another reporter. Our dates are October 23-27. We will be doing MNSSHP and lots of Food & Wine. My favorite time of year to be at Disney.

Of course we need you Chris!

 

[jabead]

Now let's start the dinner updates sent to us on Wednesday, beginning with one from DonaldDoleWhip.


Grand Floridian Cafe

He said, "Dinner on Monday was at the Grand Floridian Cafe. I had two appetizers as my meal - the seasonal salad and shrimp cocktail."




"The seasonal salad was very good - I enjoyed the heirloom tomatoes, bitter greens, and sweet fig-balsamic vinaigrette. (The blue cheese on top ended up going to my mom.)"



"I also liked the shrimp cocktail. It was topped with a creamy verde sauce that tasted like tarragon, and I enjoyed the tomato and avocado underneath."





"My mom had the same two dishes as I did, but she wasn't happy with the shrimp cocktail. The abundance of tomatoes made it feel similar to the seasonal salad (which wasn't clear from the menu description). She would've preferred a more traditional take on the dish, with actual cocktail sauce and more shrimp (there were only 3)."



"My dessert was the chocolate fondue. The chocolate itself tasted like chocolate and orange, which I really enjoyed with the fruit. This was a simple and enjoyable finish to the meal."





"Overall, I thought the food here was solid, but my mom was less pleased."

"To make matters worse, the service here was laughably bad. Dishes were coming out at the wrong time (or not at all). In fact, our second plates came out while we were still working on our appetizers. Cutlery was removed from the table and not replaced. Our server was "invisible until the bill arrived" (as my mom described it), and it took forever to clear our plates and bring us dessert menus. Once it was time to pay, our server was practically rushing us out, but we'd already sat there for over 2 hours (without even lingering over drinks). Definitely the worst service we've had at a restaurant in recent memory."

"On the bright side, at least we had great company!"



(Photo credit goes to Brenda - she snapped this and sent it to me since I'm sending in the final piece of this review.)

"It was so nice sharing this meal with Brenda, Emmy, Vicki, and Andrew. I had a great time here, but service didn't have anything to do with it." ​

5 August Game Points Earned + 10 Bonus Points for DISmeet photo (I'm counting Andrew as an honorary DISboard member )

 

[jabead]

And speaking of Brenda, she and Em had dinner on Tuesday night at the Yacht Club's...





She said, "We had pre-arranged to be seated in Ricardo's section, we request him ahead of time every trip now."



Menu pics...











"I started with a Bloody Mary."




"We decided that the onion rolls would be sufficient for an appetizer. They are so buttery delicious!"





"Em ordered the 16 oz. rib eye, same as last visit..."



"Although the bone marrow and brioche were untouched, she adored the steak!"



"I selected the hanger steak that has a garlic aioli..."



"I subbed the twice baked potato for the truffle fries at Vicki's suggestion. Excellent choice! There was also a small mixed green salad with fresh peaches."




"Dessert menu..."





"For dessert we split the crème brulee, which was beautifully presented with fresh berries."






"Ricardo presented us with a lovely dessert sampler just because. The jellied passion fruit candy was my favorite!"





"We closed out the restaurant and then took photos with our wait team."




"I'm excited to return here in December." ​

5 August Game Points Earned + 6 Bonus Points for name/menu pics and pic with Ricardo

 

[jabead]

We also received an update from Jeanette (JintyB) from her dinner on Tuesday night, but first a quick snack update from Epcot's...


Club Cool




"Frozen blue raspberry."



"And marshmallows from the campfire at the Wilderness Lodge ."











"Dinner was from..."

Roaring Fork




"We all had flatbreads."





Cheese






Tomato and basil





Pepperoni





Drinks




Desserts...








"My first ever Mickey ice cream bar."





"Luvvvverrrrrrrrrly!" ​

5 August Game Points Earned + 2 Bonus Points for menu and pic of Jeanette

 

[jabead]

Our next dinner update was sent to us by Anne (scanne) from her dinner on Wednesday at the Polynesian's...





Anne said, "We ended up at Kona for dinner, but at the sushi bar since we couldn't get seating in the restaurant."


First some menu pics...




"You can also order from the Kona menu here."










"I ordered a strawberry julep..."






And for their food choices...




Lump Crab cakes with Jalapeno-Lime Cream





Polynesian Barbecue Pork Ribs with pickled vegetable slaw





Sticky Wings - Glazed Chicken Wings with tangy Mustard Drizzle and Toasted Sesame Seeds





Sesame Seared Sea Scallops with Rice, Wakami Salad, and Tarragon-Champagne





Unidentified Sushi Roll (but I think it looks like the California Luau Roll with Jumbo Lump Crab, Pineapple, and Avocado)





Pan-Roasted Chicken with Spring Pea Risotto




Dessert menu...





For dessert, they chose...



Kona Kone





Kilauea Torte - An explosion of warm liquid chocolate inside a chocolate volcano

"Hands down the BEST dessert on Disney property! I had one bite and my DS devoured the rest."


"Excellent meal and service." ​

2 August Game Points Earned + 5 Bonus Points for sign and menu pics

 

[ocalla]

DDW: we tried GFC in July, and felt the same way!!!

Brenda: Our first YSH visit was this past July, and we just happened to be seated in Ricardo's area. He IS A HOOT!!! We really enjoyed him, and will request him again next visit!!!

 

[jabead]

One more dinner update from Wednesday to post, this one from Mary7116.


"Before the parade we decided to get a bite to eat at..."




"Sorry the menu picture isn't clear."




Here's what they had...



"I had the fish & chips which I did not like much. The batter was good but the fish itself had that unpleasant fishy taste to it. The broccoli was good, crispy."





"DH had fish chips & chicken strips. Said it was okay, not the worst he ever had. So not much of an endorsement."



"DS had kids Mac & Cheese (no pic sent). Said it was good but not as good as mom's Kraft shells Mac & cheese."





"DS had kids chicken nuggets. He liked it, said it was good."


"Overall I remember Columbia Harbour House to be better than it was tonight. Maybe it was an off night because it was late (9pm) and close to closing. The restaurant was neat and ordering went smoothly." ​

2 August Game Points Earned + 2 Bonus Points for sign and menu pic

 

[jabead]

And that just leaves the last two updates from DonaldDoleWhip's trip, which sadly ended on Tuesday.


He said, "On our last day, I headed into Epcot in the morning."

"Fountain View construction."





"While there, I spent some time in The Seas. Watching the marine life is such a relaxing experience."











"Once World Showcase opened, I headed there for one last round of food sampling."

"My first stop was..."




Menu



"I had the tacos de pollo. They were okay, but they would've been better with more cilantro and lime. The salsa was chunky but rather sweet, and the chips were stale so they mostly went to waste. I love Mexican food, but this was one of the most disappointing meals of the trip."




"At least the view was nice!"




"Next up, Norway!"



"I was torn between my two favorites (rice cream and school bread). Since it was our last day, I simply got both!"





"I actually don't like the custard in the school bread, so I scraped most of it out. All that remained was pure cardamom-coconut deliciousness."






"One more stop - this time, I decided to include Germany."





Menu



"The savory menu is limited if you don't eat pork and red meat (even with the recent menu update announced on the Disney Parks Blog). See here: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...on-biergarten-restaurant-sommerfest-at-epcot/

"Still, I was here for something sweet - the apple strudel. It was a much bigger piece than I was expecting (so I couldn't finish it), but it had a great flavor from the apples, pastry, and vanilla sauce."




"German mural..."





"After finishing my walk around World Showcase, I exited the park and returned to YC through the Beach Club."




"Beach Club's forgotten signature restaurant."

​

4 August Game Points Earned + 9 Bonus Points for signs, menus, and misc. pics

 

[jabead]

DonaldDoleWhip's final update is from one of our few remaining 10 point locations.

He said, "Our last meal of the trip was lunch at..."




Menu






"The restaurant was largely empty while we were there."



"We decided to split an appetizer, main course, and dessert. Our appetizer choice was the salad of arugula and frisée. I asked for the dressing on the side."





"If the portion looks small, that's because the kitchen split our dishes for us! This was a really nice touch, since we didn't have to struggle with side plates."



"As for the salad, I really enjoyed it. I'm glad they put the celery-almond purée on the side since I didn't love it (it had a mayo-like consistency), but everything else was very nice together."



"Our main course selection was the seared tuna salad."





"This was beautifully presented and delicious. The tuna paired excellently with the pickled watermelon and savory red pepper coulis."





"Finally, dessert."



"We shared the house-made gelato - two scoops of chocolate and one scoop of strawberry. My mom especially loved the chocolate gelato, while I loved the strawberry. Between us, no bite was left behind."




"I'm so glad we made it back to Captain's Grille for lunch - the food, relaxing atmosphere, and service were all wonderful. Our server (Ryan) was easily one of the best servers of our trip - he was extremely friendly, prompt, and attentive. I wish we had done lunch here twice!"


"A few hours later, we were on our plane at MCO. After a failed take-off, our flight ended up being delayed due to a minor mechanical issue. The delay wasn't fun to deal with, but at least we know safety was the top priority. Furthermore, JetBlue definitely tried to make things right. Each person on the plane received a $100 credit that has to be used within the next year - I guess we need to book another set of flights."


Note from jabead: I vote for the first weekend in December.



"That's all I have! It was another fantastic trip overall, with great meals and great company. To wrap things up, here are some final pics of Stormalong Bay and the Yacht Club."




​

10 August Game Points Earned + 5 Bonus Points for sign, menus, restaurant pic, and misc. pics

 

[Arielle71]

Hi Barb,

We are going back to the world in October (8th to 29th) and I would be glad to contribute / report again since I love this thread so much.

We have many ADRs planned and about 15 food and wine events reserved plus the Swan/Dolphin food classic. I don't know if I will be able to report from all the signature F&W diners (don't want to disturb the tablemates!) but I'll do my best !

Thanks,Gisèle

 

[jabead]

And since that was DDW's final update, it's now time to say...




Thanks so much for being a Live Reporter...Fantastic Job!!!





DonaldDoleWhip's Total Aug./Sept. Game Points Earned = 299
​

 

[jabead]

Hi Barb,

We are going back to the world in October (8th to 29th) and I would be glad to contribute / report again since I love this thread so much.

We have many ADRs planned and about 15 food and wine events reserved plus the Swan/Dolphin food classic. I don't know if I will be able to report from all the signature F&W diners (don't want to disturb the tablemates!) but I'll do my best !

Thanks,Gisèle

That's great news Gisele! Welcome to the October team!

 

[bluejasmine]

I almos had my rehearsal dinner at Ariel's for our vow renewal, it's beautiful in there!! Was trying to keep with the under the sea theme since reception was at living seas back room but we ended up having to post pone everything for awhile... Hopefully one day tho.

 

[jabead]

Now for our First Update of the Day from yesterday, sent to us by Jeanette (JintyB).

She said, "We went to EMH at AK Wednesday morning and after three expeditions to Everest felt we deserved breakfast."


"Breakfast was at..."




Menu





"Even though we ate late (10.30am) the food was fresh and well presented."

"We had:




Melon





"Carved corned beef, grilled asparagus, corned beef hash - this was all delicious."





"Waffles, pancake, scrambled egg, sausage and French toast bread pudding."





"Sticky pecan buns, M&M pancake, bacon."





"And a coffee to go."



"My DD's food isn't pictured here but was mainly cereal, pancakes and the ever present hot tea."

"We'd definitely do this again. We had booked a second breakfast at Tusker House but changed it for this and were glad we did. Food and service were better." ​

2 August Game Points Earned + 3 Bonus Points for sign and menu pics & First Update of the Day