"could I have another glow cube?" - spring 2017 DR - COMPLETE 8/17 Homecoming

[amberpi]

I'm going to have to see if this really beats my grey goose slush......might have to double fist one of each to really get a feel for it

Ariane, I wish I was getting back in time to do exactly this comparison. I mean, for science of course. Love your spirit! Hope its included in your next report, as I always enjoy them!

 

[sleepydog25]

Sigh. Another drinking report with a little food tossed in. . .LOVE IT!

 

[Sailormoon2]

I know it's the only standalone drink location like this that honors Tables in Wonderland,

This make me really happy as it is my favourite out door bar in all of WDW!!!

 

[kastoney]

I had one busy week at work and a weekend away and you are on page 4 already. Sheesh! Clearly I am some semblance of very late, but here anyway. All read up and think I may have a slight buzz on just from reading You two make me feel like a nun. Ah to be in my 20's again

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Hello! I am joining in!

I have to say, I feel hung over just reading about all drinks you guys had! Sounded like a great night, though! The pineapple drink looks very tasty!

I love the wire ears! Did you make the whole thing? I love them.

And i have been dyeing to go to Trader Sams. One of these trips I will convince my girls (8 & 6) that it will be fun! I promise....

Can't wait to hear how the rest of the trip went!

 

[mousegear]

I lost count of how many drinks you had so far. It looks like we are getting introduced to good amount of what WDW could offer to us. One of these days, when I go solo, I'm going to try some,

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

MISTAKE! Doesn't this beautiful bloody mary look absolutely amazing? Well our server didn't mention that the "spicy" bloody mary was a WASABI bloody mary, so these had an overwhelming unpleasant horseradish flavor.

Um. Ew. I hate wasabi. That would not have made me happy.

Lots of people complain about the service at Kona. We had a server that I've had before in the past and I found the service perfectly fine - we had what we needed at all times, offers of additional drinks, and the pacing was fine.

Nice! Ours was sloooow as molasses in January. She was nice, she just moved at sloth pace, LOL. That looked like a great lunch, and as for grabbing a cocktail on the way back to the room? Let me just say, well done.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Well - wasabi bloody mary just sounds nasty but I really hate bloody marys (I really am not a tomato juice fan)

Glad you had a decent server at Kona! We've had better luck at lunch there than dinner when it comes to service - I just stopped loving it when they got rid of my Duck Potstickers. Those were my favorite! The current version of the Kona Kone also isn't nearly as fun as it used to be.

I'm not shocked you had a slow morning! You had a lot of drinking going into that day!

 

[Raeven]

We hit up Captain Cook's this morning but due to our fun the night before I neglected to photograph my breakfast. It was actually even less appetizing than the below stolen photo...

Eww that looks worse than the one I had at Les Halles. Everything in it seemed so processed and fake (like the eggs) it was worse than a fast food breakfast.

 

[happy2012]

Yes, I agree 110% about those Poly Bloody Marys. There are very,very few things @ WDW that I say that about. Almost everything is good-great, but I really love a good Bloody Mary & those are not. I almost get one Everytime 'til I remember how they are. Yikes! I actually love the horseradish in them but wasabi give them a very odd flavor. Not. Good.

 

[pepperandchips]

Enjoying your report! Looks like you're having a great time! 38 days until our Girls' Trip with my sister & bff! I'm taking notes of what to try! That Rose Frozen Slush sounds amazing, and I love macarons!!! Getting excited!

Yay! That's a fantastically close countdown. I hope you have as amazing of a girls' weekend as KJ and I had! I love macarons too, I love the cute little box of them you can get inside Les Halles!

So subscribing! Staying at the Poly in June and have made a mental note not to get a spicy Bloody Mary at Kona! I love your reviews!

Um yeah, stay far afield of the wasabi bloody mary!!! and so glad to have you here reading along!

Ariane, I wish I was getting back in time to do exactly this comparison. I mean, for science of course. Love your spirit! Hope its included in your next report, as I always enjoy them!

Ha. Y'all are my kinda people. "Please give me two of your finest cocktails so I can ensure my statistical sample is large enough - thank you"

Sigh. Another drinking report with a little food tossed in. . .LOVE IT!

is right! We had so much fun. Glad to hear I have some beverage fan friends here!!

This make me really happy as it is my favourite out door bar in all of WDW!!!

PLEASE tell me you saw the freaking ADORABLE glow cube Derby hat that just got released at the Brown Derby lounge?! I sent a photo of it in an email to KJ at work yesterday and I heard her squealing all the way down the hall. That chick LOVEs a glow cube and I gotta admit I'd like one too...

I had one busy week at work and a weekend away and you are on page 4 already. Sheesh! Clearly I am some semblance of very late, but here anyway. All read up and think I may have a slight buzz on just from reading You two make me feel like a nun. Ah to be in my 20's again

Oh my gosh I totally understand. My draft for the next post has been languishing. Work is kicking my tail hard this week. Can't wait for a quick Disney fix to break up the stress!!!

LOL at the idea of you being a nun. We just didn't have an adorable Casey type to keep up with so we could let the spirits move us.

Hello! I am joining in!

I have to say, I feel hung over just reading about all drinks you guys had! Sounded like a great night, though! The pineapple drink looks very tasty!

I love the wire ears! Did you make the whole thing? I love them.

And i have been dyeing to go to Trader Sams. One of these trips I will convince my girls (8 & 6) that it will be fun! I promise....

Can't wait to hear how the rest of the trip went!

Haha, oddly enough the hangover wasn't really too bad. I think because we spaced everything out fairly decently and drank a bunch of water too (ssshhh don't tell anyone).

I did make the whole thing for the wire ears... sort of. I mean I don't make the headband obviously but I hand shape the wire ears and crowns from craft wire and assemble everything and then add the flowers. It's a labor of love, to be certain. and I love them too!!

Trader Sam's is so fun. If your girls like the tiki room I think they would love the effects in there. Plus there are a couple fun mocktail choices so they could order those and feel very sophisticated! I would have loved it as a child, but admittedly I was born with the spirit of an 80 year old and have only gotten older since.

I lost count of how many drinks you had so far. It looks like we are getting introduced to good amount of what WDW could offer to us. One of these days, when I go solo, I'm going to try some,

Don't worry, math is not required nor welcome here! LOL And we certainly didn't count them either

What you said is precisely the reason why I write my DRs (besides having a place to look back at the fun I had on my trips) - I love using other DISers dining reports to see what is offered at WDW and whether those items are personally recommended by real humans. These boards are just so helpful.

Um. Ew. I hate wasabi. That would not have made me happy.



Nice! Ours was sloooow as molasses in January. She was nice, she just moved at sloth pace, LOL. That looked like a great lunch, and as for grabbing a cocktail on the way back to the room? Let me just say, well done.

Haha, yes... we needed something to remove the stain of the wasabi bloody mary from our memories and the smaller flower and garden festival offering of the rum-spiked dole whip had caught KJ's eye. I figured we could get a full sized shebang at the resort and not sacrifice any of our precious tummy space at Epcot on dole whip! (My priorities are admittedly gluttonous)

Kona is so funny because it's so divisive. It used to be a must-do for us, but as time marches forward other restaurants are sharing the Kona spotlight. I long for the Wave for breakfast now (as much as I love the Samoan) but Kona was just the perfect convenient option for a low key lunch this day. It was great to stay at the Poly!!!

Well - wasabi bloody mary just sounds nasty but I really hate bloody marys (I really am not a tomato juice fan)

Glad you had a decent server at Kona! We've had better luck at lunch there than dinner when it comes to service - I just stopped loving it when they got rid of my Duck Potstickers. Those were my favorite! The current version of the Kona Kone also isn't nearly as fun as it used to be.

I'm not shocked you had a slow morning! You had a lot of drinking going into that day!

My R hates bloody marys too so when I told him about the wasabi issue he about gagged. Bloody marys seem to be a "hate it or love it" item!

HOLD.THE.PHONE. DUCK potstickers?! Okay, let's start the petition to bring them back! I'll be honest, the first (and last) time we had the Kona potstickers (new version I suppose) they tasted like freezer food that you can get at Publix, so it has not been something we repeated ordering.

We did drink a bunch but we had SO much fun. I know that you can relate to having an AP and multiple trips changing your priorities a bit. Nice to have a relaxing Disney weekend for once!

Eww that looks worse than the one I had at Les Halles. Everything in it seemed so processed and fake (like the eggs) it was worse than a fast food breakfast.

Oh yeah, it was SO bad. I knew there was no way I could eat eggs (which are dicey for me before noon even if I've not had a drop to drink the night before) and I was just so disappointed. Oh well, live and learn!

Yes, I agree 110% about those Poly Bloody Marys. There are very,very few things @ WDW that I say that about. Almost everything is good-great, but I really love a good Bloody Mary & those are not. I almost get one Everytime 'til I remember how they are. Yikes! I actually love the horseradish in them but wasabi give them a very odd flavor. Not. Good.

I think the plain ones must be fine, since Kari always gets them and says they are great. We should have just gone with the plain version. Although to be honest if I am at Kona again and in need of a beverage I will probably just stick with my standard backscratcher! Hey, it has juice, it can totally be a day drink... lol

 

[pepperandchips]

3/4 Continued: Animal Kingdom and Tambu

Well, KJ and I really did blow the lights out on drinking around Walt Disney World this time so I guess I was inviting scorn when I decided to write this up. Really everyone should be grateful that I tried all the drinks just to tell you which ones were the best so you don't have to taste them all like we did!

Anyway, I wanted to get in an update but work is turning out to be absolutely insane this week - I have so many deadlines so I am not sure how many more updates I'll be able to pen before we head down to Orlando again this weekend. We are leaving on Friday after work and I will make sure to take lots of food pics! Back to your regularly scheduled dining reviews...

After our rest we got on a bus to Animal Kingdom rather quickly, and quickly made our way to the Kilimanjaro Safaris to enjoy a fastpass just before dusk. Quite a few of the animals were out and about and while some of them were absent, many were notably more lively than usual

how many times have you seen the rhinos just sauntering around?

Or a big lady cat just prowling at dusk? Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon or asked the grinning bobcat why he grins?

Okay that is definitely not a bobcat. But this lion stretching his jaws was a pretty majestic sight to behold.

As was Rivers of Light! We had Fastpass for the first show of the evening and arrived about 45-50 minutes ahead of the show starting. We pretty much had our run of the fp section and grabbed seats down on the concrete "higher rise" bleachers near aisle access. I stayed put and KJ ran up to Thirsty River for... *ahem* water. Yeah, since there's no photographic evidence I am going with water. KJ got a lotus flower glow topper for her "water"... below is not my photo but this was a really cool souvenir! Thank you touringplans for the photo

Anyway, we ended up having a great view and we loved the show. (I really don't remember what we had to drink, sorry, bad DISer, that's why I usually take photos)

We both loved this show. I am an animal kingdom fangirl so I understand that other folks think it's slow or lacks story, but I just thought it was beautiful. I love the music and the message and pretty much anything colorful and pretty, so this was perfect. Afterward, we wanted to dine at a location KJ had not experienced before. I loved it on my previous visit, so we powerwalked to the Nomad Lounge to grab some dinner.

Of course we started with more "water"

Tempting Tigress - Russell's Reserve 10yr Bourbon, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, Tamarind Syrup, and Lime Juice. $12.75 This was tasty and right up my alley. I'd wanted to try something new to me and this just cements my belief that the Nomad Lounge does not have a bad thing on the menu.

Annapurna Zing - Bombay Sapphire East Gin, Passion Fruit Purée, Mint, Simple Syrup, and Lime Juice topped with Ginger Beer $8.50. KJ loved this and I loved it in the past, so it was no surprise that she joined the fan group!

It's beautiful inside the lounge and there weren't very many people there at all. It was funny, we were about 1 of 3 tables that clearly ducked in post-ROL. I am sure this method will catch on more in the future but it was nice having a quiet space to retreat to.

These are the Pork Ribs - honey-glazed coriander-spiced ($10). I have waxed poetic about how much I love this dish in the past, but I'll go ahead and do it again. I absolutely adore these ribs. They are perfectly cooked and totally tender, coated in a spicy (flavorful, not hot) rub that's slightly sweet and has a nice smoky chili tone in it. Then when you squeeze the magic charred lime juice over these puppies they take on a perfect acid note to cut that sweetness. They are scrumptious! Here's another photo after I sort of strewed them out so you can see what a nice portion you get for ten buckaroonies:

KJ went with the fish tacos, which were a solid choice but just didn't wow me last time. "Florida Lionfish Tacos - charred pineapple and jalapeno" ($9) This is one instance that I actually think the description is misleading. These are a bit one-note for me. I know they need to offer a bit of a safe choice in this establishment though and I guess this would be good for a pickier eater.

We also shared the Nomad Cheese Board - "Selection of Artisanal Cheeses - chef's selection of accoutrements" ($14) AND I didn't take a photo of the description BUT I remembered to take notes this time!!! This was 2 year aged gouda, purple haze goat cheese, feta, blue cheese, fig bread, and cardamom almonds. There were also some cubes of some type of fruit gel and honeycomb. This was nothing too exotic but a cheese board is always a friend to me, and this was a nice one at what I think is a very fair price. We tried our best and still weren't able to finish everything. We ended up asking for more bread and since it was the end of the night we received a selection of leftover breads for the bread service at no cost. Thanks, amazing CM Spencer!!!

Total pre-TIW and pre-gratuity was $57, which is very fair. We had excellent service in great atmosphere and really enjoyed this experience.

We got a bus back to the Poly and managed to catch Wishes from the bus window. My pictures of that came out predictably awful.

It was dessert time!

Where else can you get this bad boy?

'Ohana Bread Pudding - Single serving with scoop of vanilla ice cream and side of banana caramel sauce which costs... wait for it... $6.00. SIX DOLLARS CANYOUBELIEVEIT

Now, mind you, this did not change my life or anything, but it was tasty. And so cheap! I mean, a specialty cupcake is regularly running you $5.50 around property and this is a huge slice of bread pudding with ice cream and caramel sauce. I don't really understand Ohana's cult following, but at a tiny fraction of the adult dinner price ($48?!), this is plenty of dessert for two people to share and if you are at all interested I totally recommend getting one from the lounge.

Of course, after dinner requires after-dinner drinks.

I had a Lapu Lapu refill (the novelty of the pineapple is no longer worth the upcharge to me, plus I like these cute tiki cups which you can purchase at the Bou-tiki downstairs if you agree)

But KJ had the full on Lapu experience, pineapple and all! Lapu Lapu - Myers's Original Dark Rum and tropical fruit juices served in a fresh pineapple topped with Bacardi 151 Rum. Sorry, I didn't keep the receipt but I believe the regular lapu lapu served in a pineapple is $14 and just the drink (served in the non-souvenir glass) is $10. I think.

I do love the Lapu Lapu but it's a little sweet for me, which is why my tiki drink of choice is the backscratcher. We had no problem washing down our bread pudding with these lovelies and then headed off to bed.

Up next: California Grill brunch! Macarons, prosecco, and birthdays OH MY!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I think they got rid of the Duck Potstickers back in like 2009/2010 time frame - around the time the Dining Plan was getting really popular!

I love how you love water as much as I do.

What are your plans for this weekend? I decided on Monday to go this weekend with a girlfriend and I was able to get a room on points at SSR. We're going to drink around Disney Springs Friday Night and EPCOT on Saturday!

 

[Sailormoon2]

and pretty much anything colorful and pretty, so this was perfect.

Me too!! I haven't seen it yet, but I know I am going to love it, based on this description alone.

Tempting Tigress

This sounds like my perfect drink. And Nomad lounge looks like my perfect bar, I may end up their for the entirety of future AK days.

sure this method will catch on more in the future but it was nice having a quiet space to retreat to.

God I hope not!! It seems so perfect as is, right now!

 

[toomuchtv]

But KJ had the full on Lapu experience, pineapple and all! Lapu Lapu - Myers's Original Dark Rum and tropical fruit juices served in a fresh pineapple topped with Bacardi 151 Rum. Sorry, I didn't keep the receipt but I believe the regular lapu lapu served in a pineapple is $14 and just the drink (served in the non-souvenir glass) is $10. I think.

I always see everyone talking about this and think "Hmm...maybe I'll try it", but I've heard it's strong, and I'm a total lightweight. Should I try it or convince my husband to try it and take a drink?

 

[pepperandchips]

I think they got rid of the Duck Potstickers back in like 2009/2010 time frame - around the time the Dining Plan was getting really popular!

I love how you love water as much as I do.

What are your plans for this weekend? I decided on Monday to go this weekend with a girlfriend and I was able to get a room on points at SSR. We're going to drink around Disney Springs Friday Night and EPCOT on Saturday!

We have gloriously (or sadly?) almost NO PLANS! I'm the organized one and my family's lackadaisical style means they don't even have tickets yet I have been fb messaging Ashley @Vernie822 and we're going to try to meet up (maybe Saturday?). I saw she commented on your thread this morning but I ran out of time before work to respond

Anyway if you're at all interested I will PM you my cell number and we can all try to meet up!! Ashley and I have never had a dismeet before hahaha. I'm sure I could talk R into Epcot on Saturday as we wouldn't be in early enough on Friday to really do anything fun that night.

 

[amberpi]

3/4 Continued: Animal Kingdom and Tambu

Well, KJ and I really did blow the lights out on drinking around Walt Disney World this time so I guess I was inviting scorn when I decided to write this up.

Girl, you don't have to drink "water," at WDW, unless you're driving! Its vacation, with a girlfriend, with a DD. Enjoy it! Also, thanks for the pro tip on getting the Lapu Lapu sans pineapple! I wonder if it would take the sweetness down just a notch? I don't do well with much sugar. I can hold my alcohol, but too much sugar makes me not unlike a superball in a racketball court.

 

[Vernie822]

We have gloriously (or sadly?) almost NO PLANS! I'm the organized one and my family's lackadaisical style means they don't even have tickets yet I have been fb messaging Ashley @Vernie822 and we're going to try to meet up (maybe Saturday?). I saw she commented on your thread this morning but I ran out of time before work to respond

I was about to respond to you, @Dis_Yoda !! I think we are both pretty lax w/ our plans. I know we'll be at Disney Springs Friday night, and Saturday we'll be at MK/hopefully doing a monorail hop that night and meeting up w/ Melinda! Sunday we've got FP's for ROL.

 

[Vernie822]

Anyway, I wanted to get in an update but work is turning out to be absolutely insane this week - I have so many deadlines so I am not sure how many more updates I'll be able to pen before we head down to Orlando again this weekend. We are leaving on Friday after work and I will make sure to take lots of food pics! Back to your regularly scheduled dining reviews...

SEE YA REAL SOON!

Oooooooo!!

Anyway, we ended up having a great view and we loved the show. (I really don't remember what we had to drink, sorry, bad DISer, that's why I usually take photos)

We both loved this show. I am an animal kingdom fangirl so I understand that other folks think it's slow or lacks story, but I just thought it was beautiful. I love the music and the message and pretty much anything colorful and pretty, so this was perfect. Afterward, we wanted to dine at a location KJ had not experienced before. I loved it on my previous visit, so we powerwalked to the Nomad Lounge to grab some dinner.

But you had water, right!? I am so jazzed to see this show! I might also need the probably stupidly overpriced ROL glowing flower.

We also shared the Nomad Cheese Board - "Selection of Artisanal Cheeses - chef's selection of accoutrements" ($14) AND I didn't take a photo of the description BUT I remembered to take notes this time!!! This was 2 year aged gouda, purple haze goat cheese, feta, blue cheese, fig bread, and cardamom almonds. There were also some cubes of some type of fruit gel and honeycomb. This was nothing too exotic but a cheese board is always a friend to me, and this was a nice one at what I think is a very fair price. We tried our best and still weren't able to finish everything. We ended up asking for more bread and since it was the end of the night we received a selection of leftover breads for the bread service at no cost. Thanks, amazing CM Spencer!!!

Ugh, I am dying to try Tiffins and this is not helping. That cheese board sounds fantastic.

'Ohana Bread Pudding - Single serving with scoop of vanilla ice cream and side of banana caramel sauce which costs... wait for it... $6.00. SIX DOLLARS CANYOUBELIEVEIT

BARGAIN CITY. I really love a good bargain... if there is such a thing in WDW. I am part of the Ohana cult following.. ashamedly. We've skipped it as of late (ok, we skipped it once and we're skipping it this time) because I can think of a lot of other places I'd rather drop $50/person on dinner. The bread pudding is just amazing though.

Up next: California Grill brunch! Macarons, prosecco, and birthdays OH MY!

YESSSS.. Cannot wait to read that one!!

 

[ArielSRL]

I'm late but I am here!

Well hello again friends, it's me, pepperandchips (aka Melinda)!

I hail from Atlanta and we usually drive to Orlando, but this time we flew.

How long did it take? I mean, I flew twice and I swear the whole shebang took almost the same amount of time as driving does, so we just save the money.

I am a DVC member and was able to book us into a standard studio at the Polynesian about six months prior to our trip.

Woohoo! Those rooms look huge!

I also have another trip coming up in two weeks when R's school has spring break,

Looking forward to reading about this one, as well!

San Angel Inn (dinner? spoiler: disaster)

Ruh-roh....

but I think there are a few friends here in this subforum who might appreciate (and dare I even suggest RELATE) so I decided to share anyway.

HAHA...I'm quite sure there are....

We work really close to a stop of Atlanta's public transit train (MARTA) so we opted to bring our things to work and leave straight after quitting time via MARTA to the airport.

Very convenient!

but dealing with the sheer volume of passengers in the Atlanta airport can sometimes be a hassle

This is another reason we just avoid it if possible.

Once we got to our terminal we decided to get a drink before the plane boarded.

Well, why wouldn't you???

our drinks were somewhere around $16-17 each. YIKES!

Yikes is right!

Onboard the plane we found that we had no window in our row. Yeah... that was our luck for the evening.

Not cool.

The Poly ended up being the first stop! Woo hoo!

More woo hoo!

HippopotoMai-Tai

Sounds yummy!