Deluxe Plan for a 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

[JerseyJanice]

My wonderful parents-in-law celebrated 50 years of marriage on 6/10/12 and decided to mark the occasion by taking their family to Walt Disney World. The family would be their son (my husband), myself and our son (16), and their daughter, her husband, her son (22), and daughter (19). They chose to take us to the Wilderness Lodge for four nights and got us all the Deluxe Dining Plan. (My husband actually didn’t get to go on the trip due to a work issue, and my nephew had to cut his trip short.)

I’ve done the regular Dining Plan a few trips and last September, got the Quick Service Plan, which was great for the Food and Wine Festival in 2011 when you got 2 snacks per person. However, this would be my first time on Deluxe and first time dining at most signature restaurants. I was excited about the selection of restaurants new to me. I wouldn’t use 2 credits for 1 meal on the regular plan, but with Deluxe, I decided to go with two meals per day—one signature and one single credit meal.

I always kind of wanted to try to the Spirit of Aloha and mentioned it to the family. They decided that they wanted to do it too. My in-laws wanted the whole family together on the actual anniversary date, so for that dinner, we picked the Yachtsman Steakhouse, where we celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2002. DS and I had dinner at the Flying Fish Café after Epcot closed one night (after we met a major celebrity there! More on that later…), and we dined at the California Grill on our Magic Kingdom day. We also had lunch at the Whispering Canyon Café, breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, and lunch at LeCellier. The last meal credit we had we used for lunch at Roaring Fork.

So in chronological order…

 

[JerseyJanice]

My SIL’s family plus myself and my son took a flight out of Newark at 6:00 a.m. so we got to the Lodge around 9:30 that morning. My son went with his cousins to the Magic Kingdom while I got together with my younger brother who lives in Fort Lauderdale. He drove up for the weekend, and I booked a lunch for the two of us at the Whispering Canyon Café. I dined here a couple of time in 2002 when we stayed at the Lodge and again in 2010 during a Free Dining trip.

I met bro in the lobby and we checked in for what I thought was a 1:00 p.m. ADR. It turned out my ADR was for 12:50. I don’t know why I was certain it was 1:00. They gave me a beeper, and we went back down the stairs to sit in chairs in the lobby. I planted my butt down, and the beeper went off immediately. Why bother with giving someone a beeper if you’re going to seat them in a few minutes anyway?

I do not remember the name of our server, but she was lovely and very helpful, bringing extra glasses of unsweetened iced tea before we asked for them. I had the skillet when we ate here for dinner in 2010. It was very good that visit, so I was psyched to order it again. I loved the salad that accompanied it with its apple cider vinaigrette. It’s not included with the lunch skillet, but can be ordered as an appetizer on Deluxe, do I did. Bro asked about the meatloaf and our waitress talked him out of it. He chose the Angus cheeseburger instead, and she commended that pick. Funny, but in 2010, our friend wanted to order the meatloaf, and the waiter talked him out of it too.

The salad was delicious, and Bro was happy with his burger. My skillet came out with lovely cornbread, but the rest of it was pretty bad. Well, I did like the smoked sausage in it, but both the ribs and chicken were horrible. The ribs were so tough, I couldn’t eat them, and the chicken was seriously dried out. Both those items were excellent in 2010, and honestly, this was the first time I ever got bad ribs at WDW. I’ve had them in many WDW restaurants and always found them wonderful—I thought it was one menu item all of WDW had mastered. But these ribs were awful, inedible actually.

If I were hungrier, I would have complained and maybe asked for another serving of ribs and chicken to see if I got better ones. Perhaps if the chicken were dark meat, it wouldn’t be all dried out. But with the excitement of traveling and getting to Disney, I didn’t have much of an appetite. I ate the sausage and some of the potatoes which didn’t taste bad although they were odd-looking--all smashed up and not browned. I didn’t even want dessert so I asked for the apple caramel pie to go and brought that up to the room and put it in the fridge for a snack. I didn’t know that they took the Smores cheesecake off the dessert menu. We loved that in 2010, and I was disappointed that it wasn’t on the menu.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Bro joined the rest of us for this meal. I’ve read that it’s not a great value on the Deluxe Plan, but I liked having one meal that was completely covered with drinks and gratuity included. For months I thought that SIL had booked the 5:15 show, but I found a month before that she had booked the 8:00 show. I worried that we’d be too tired to enjoy it that late after waking up at 3:00 a.m. to leave for the airport, but it worked out fine. I think that the show itself must look prettier at night because of the lighting on the stage after it gets dark.

I don’t read many reviews about the Luau, and I would guess that’s because it’s not something you’d consider doing multiple times. We enjoyed our evening there very much, but the food is kind of pedestrian. Think a corporate cafeteria luncheon themed for the anniversary of Hawaii becoming a state. The show is entertaining, but it’s not so “wow” that you’d want to see it over and over again. I really didn’t follow the storyline much. It was something about a girl wanting to leave the island and the dancing is how they were saying farewell to her. I thought the dancing was excellent, and I loved the costumes the cast wore. The set was beautiful and tropical, and I loved how it looked in the lighting they used after dark.

For some reason, I envisioned long tables where you’d sit facing the stage. Actually, the tables are placed perpendicular to the stage with guests on both sides. The chairs swivel around to the side so you turn yourself to watch the show. The tables themselves are 4 tops that they push together to suit the size of your party.

Salad and bread are already on pewter pedestal serving dishes when you are seated at your table. There are empty pedestalled dishes that they put the main course on later. I ordered a Bud Light while the others ordered wine. I thought they might put out pitchers of beer and carafes of wine, but both were served by the glass. (If my husband was there, he would have pounded down as many beers as he could get out of them. LOL!) The bread is the same type they serve at Ohana. It’s a coconut-pineapple bread that I have fallen in love with over the years. It’s even better with some butter, but it’s like pulling teeth to get them to give it to you at Ohana, so I didn’t even bother asking here.
The main course consisted of ribs, chicken, fried rice and stir-fried vegetables. The ribs and chicken here were much better than what I was served at the Whispering Canyon earlier that day. I thought they should have offered hot towels or wet wipes because both meats were messy to eat. I wound up going to the restroom to wash my hands because they were a mess after only one rib.

They make the dessert presentation dramatic with volcanos that flame and smoke on the trays they carry it out on. I think it’s described as a chocolate lava cake on the menu, but it’s not cake at all. It’s a pyramid shaped chocolate mousse that is gelatinous in taste and texture as opposed to being very creamy. The “lava” is pureed passion fruit. It was O.K. Again, corporate cafeteria--not bad, but not outstanding either.

The waitress came around for “last call” and I got another beer, making it three for the night. (I wonder how many my husband would have gotten out of them. He’d have been trying to grease a palm for more.) BTW, I don’t remember her name, but our server was lovely and helpful. Honestly, I was very pleased with all the waitstaff we encountered this trip. Disney can be proud of those employees—every one we had did an excellent job and added to our enjoyment. Really, a good waiter or waitress can make such a tremendous difference in how much you enjoy your meal, and I feel we lucked out this trip with some of WDW’s finest servers.

They really kick up the pace of the show after dinner; actually, most of it takes place then. It runs a full two hours and ended at 10:00. I was hoping to make it to the beach by the Volcano pool to see Wishes, but we had to watch it from a section of beach just outside the luau cove. No speakers, but it was still lovely to see.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Bro, DS and I took the boat from the Lodge to the MK, planning to take another boat or the monorail to the Grand Floridian. I booked this meal since we did it during a 2008 trip, and I thought it was wonderful then. The skipper of our WL boat told us that we should look for a gold flag boat as that would be on boats going to the GF and Polynesian. We were on that boat the previous night going from the Polynesian to the MK, and I must say it’s a lovely ride at night. We went right past the Electric Water Pageant.

Sure enough, we saw a gold flag boat heading toward marina after we docked at MK, so we walked to that dock and waited for it. It was about 11:00 at this point and we were already late by 15 minutes, so we were anxious to get there. Of course, there was a woman on board who struggled to get her rented stroller off the boat, wasting a lot of our time with that. Next, there was another family with a child in a wheelchair who got on our boat. I think taking the monorail would have been easier for them, but they probably wanted to enjoy the view from the boat ride—it is a lovely trip. The wheelchair was obviously a specially built one that appeared extremely heavy. The boat was the smaller type they use that looks similar to the Jungle Cruise boats with a step down to board it. The child was screaming her head off that she didn’t want to go on the boat. The father carried her on while the skipper and mother struggled to get the wheelchair down into the boat. They didn’t get off at the GF, but just in case they tried to get that wheelchair off before they allowed other guests to disembark, I stood up as soon as we pulled up to the GF dock.

I took note of the location of Narcoosees over the water facing the MK. It looks like somewhere my husband would have loved to eat at had he been on the trip. I had an ADR there that I cancelled when we found out he couldn’t come. I enjoyed the scenery of the Grand Floridian grounds as we walked to the main building while Bro complained that he’d have taken the monorail if he knew it was such a hike.

We checked in and skipped the picture. Those photos are too overpriced IMO to buy so I don’t even want to pose for them and waste their paper and ink. After waiting for about 2 minutes, they put us at a lousy table once again. I swear we had the worst table in the whole place when we had dinner there in 2009. I complained and they said we could wait for another one. Bro said no way was he waiting and plopped himself down for a second, then went and grabbed a whole banana to eat. He was starved! DS found that hysterical, so we stayed there, and it all worked out. We had the most charming waiter ever. He helped turn our meal into a fabulous experience. His name was Deddy—it’s hard to forget a unique name like that—and DS noted that his badge said he came from Micronesia.

First, he told us about their special juice blend. He named all these different fruits that were in it, then brought a carafe right away and poured us each a small glass of it. Bro downed it in one gulp after Debby went to get coffee. He came back and asked how we liked the juice. Bro told him, “I drank it so fast, I didn’t even taste it.” Again, DS cracked up laughing. He finds his rather eccentric uncle the funniest thing ever.

Debby told us a bit about the buffet, mentioning they had a chef carving ham and an omelet station where we could get any kind of eggs made fresh for us. He mentioned fresh fruit and the always wonderful strawberry soup. He also said we had a few minutes before Pooh would make it to our table so now was a good time to go up.

The food was really excellent here. I started with half a bagel that I “schmeared” with cream cheese and topped with smoked salmon, a slice of the reddest, juiciest, most delicious tomato I ever had, chopped hard-boiled egg, capers, onions and a squeeze of lemon. I put some fruit on the same plate and got a bowl of strawberry soup. I love that soup! And yes, it is a soup meant to be eaten with spoon, as it is too thick and fruity to be sucked through a straw. DS filled his plate with ham, bacon, scrambled eggs, and potatoes. Bro got himself an omelet with everything (I think).

On subsequent trips up to the buffet, I got a lobster Benedict, which consists of poached egg on English muffin topped with a lobster flavored hollandaise sauce. Yum! Sometimes, you even get bits of lobster meat. This is a lovely dish. Between it and the salmon, I found the buffet to be upscale and imaginative. You can’t go to Disney World with having at least one Mickey waffle, so I got one with bananas foster sauce. And for dessert, they had a bread pudding with a very nice vanilla sauce. My son had Mickey waffles too and ate his weight in ham. Bro ate so much, so fast, I didn’t even notice what he had.

In between, we were visited by the characters—first Pooh who is now shorter than my son, next Tigger who is about the same height as DS. Alice, the Mad Hatter and Mary Poppins—all shorter than DS—all stopped by for pictures. Bro said something a bit inappropriate to Alice; I don’t remember what it was, but it cracked DS up yet again.

We had a nice discussion with Deddy as we settled up our check. He gave us some dining plan tips—like using any leftover snack credits to buy food for the flight home. He was the nicest, most pleasant server and like I said earlier, really added to our experience. The restaurant itself is so beautiful—bright and sunny.

On the way to the monorail back to the MK, we stopped at the Basin store to look around. It was nice to visit the GF this trip, and hands-down, this was the best breakfast I’ve ever had in the World.

 

[deenbrad]

Sounds like a fun trip!

 

[rlduvall]

Great reviews and thanks for taking the time to do it. Please keep 'em coming. Of course, I'm sitting here getting so hungry reading them.

 

[JerseyJanice]

We were late by about 20 minutes for our ADR, so had to wait a little while to be seated. We all looked at the menu posted at the entrance will waiting.

My son said to me, “Mom, do you know there’s an entrée for $65 on that menu?”

I answered yes, that it was surf and turf, and he asked, “Could I order that if I wanted it?” So I said yes, and he was amazed! He asked a couple of times, “You mean I can order a $65 entrée?” He rubbed his hands together, obviously excited about it.

We were seated in a small room off to the side. I didn’t realize until late in the meal that if I sat on the side of the table where MIL, my niece and SIL were seated, I’d have had a view of the grill in the kitchen. I faced them and the wall behind them with DS on one side of me and my nephew on the other. Pop sat on one end of the table, and BIL sat at the other end.

Our waiter, Darrell, introduced himself, then said he could see we were parched and would be right back with some ice water. He brought out a pitcher of water and a plate of lemons, and began talking to us while he filled everyone’s glasses. He took our drink orders and asked us if we’d ever been there before and congratulated my in-laws on their special occasion. He asked FIL what the secret was to staying married so long and Pop answered, “it helps that I picked such a good wife.” Awww! I got teary-eyed, and Mom almost cried too.

Darrell brought our drink orders and began to discuss the menu in earnest. He explained that because we were on the Deluxe plan, we each got an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert. He told us that the cheese plate could be ordered as either an appetizer or a dessert. He stated that the lobster bisque is one of their specialties, saying it was the one menu item that the Yachtsman has had on its menu since it opened.

He talked about the steaks, telling us that the New York strip was the only one that was prime, and we could order it on its own or get a smaller one with the surf and turf. The lobster with the surf and turf would be a whole one, completely removed from its shell. He also said that both the NY strip and the ribeye were aged in-house. Many of us had the same thought when he said that—we can get a choice steak and grill it in our yards any day, but prime, aged steak was a special treat.

He also told us we could switch the starch served with our steak to any side dish we saw on the menu. So I walked in wanting to order the Porterhouse, but after everything Darrell told us, I switched to the prime, aged NY strip with truffle mac and cheese.

We were given the famous onion pull-aways and sourdough rolls with roasted garlic, butter sprinkled with sea salt, and dish of olive oil sprinkled with balsamic vinegar. The garlic was incredible! The rolls were nice, but you could put that garlic on anything, and it would taste fantastic.

I chose the cheese plate for my appetizer and convinced my son to order the heirloom tomato and burrata salad. He said he didn’t want an appetizer to save his appetite for the surf and turf, but I told him a few tomato slices wouldn’t hurt. Poppy, Nephew and Niece all got the Caesar salad, Mom and SIL chose the lobster bisque, and BIL got a frutta di mare (cold seafood salad). BIL also ordered two bottles of Beringer pinot noir, which everyone had a splash of, toasting the occasion. (I drank more than a splash. Actually, Niece and DS were the only ones who had just that.)

Darrell brought a card with my cheese plate that explained each of the cheeses—how and where it was made and which accompaniments it was meant to be eaten with. Each of the cheeses was only a few bites, but with five of them, the whole thing was plenty to eat for an appetizer. Darrell told Mom and SIL to stir the cream on their crouton into the soup as they ate it. It looked awesome, but it would have filled me too much. Although I had some bread and Mom and SIL didn’t, so they managed. Pop and the kids raved about their Caesar salads. Pop said it was the best one he ever had, and honestly, he makes a mean one himself. DS’s tomatoes were brightly colored—green ones, red ones and yellow. His plate was dressed with fine olive oil and splashed with balsamic vinaigrette. BIL explained that “heirloom” tomatoes meant that they came from original tomato varieties that have been around since the colonial times. He also pronounced “burrata” with his Italian accent. He was actually born in Italy; his parents immigrated to the U.S. when he was a toddler.

I’m certain I’ve had burrata before, but didn’t know it was called that. It’s a buffalo milk mozzarella made extra creamy inside. It has a sort of solid shell and when you cut into it, it bursts into stringy goodness bathed in cream. It’s awesome stuff, and both BIL and I tried some from DS’s plate. DS ate some cheese but he preferred his tomatoes, so BIL finished the cheese he didn’t eat.

The wine flowed as we enjoyed this fabulous food, and we had such a good time with each other. I had some great stories to tell them about recent trips with other relatives. Our meals came out soon after our appetizer plates were removed. Darrell had given us good descriptions of how the meat would be cooked if we ordered it a certain way. I got a high medium rare while DS picked low medium. Everyone’s steak was perfect for their taste. Most of us ordered the prime aged NY strip, but Niece got the ribeye, and of course DS got the surf and turf (which included a smaller prime, aged strip). Niece and I got truffled mac for our sides, while Nephew got the potatoes Carmody, and everyone else got mashed potatoes.

The steak was so tender, you could have cut it with a butter knife. (Aging tends to do that.) The mac and cheese was heavenly. I gave some to Nephew and he gave me some of the Carmody, which is like slices of potato layered with cheese. During our meal, a horrific storm rolled in. We were glad to be in there having the meal of a lifetime, rather than being out in the huge crowd at one of the parks.

After our entrees, Darrell brought us the dessert menu and recommended the chocolate pretzel cake, which SIL and Nephew ordered. He explained that if you chose the gelato sundae or the house-made sorbet, you could pick whichever flavors you wanted. DS ordered the Yachtsman Sundae and asked for two strawberry scoops and one vanilla. BIL and I both chose the crème brulee, while Mom and Pop both got the sorbet. I don’t think they changed any of the flavors, which I recall were green apple, mango and something else. I also asked for coffee and he told me that they serve a French press pot, so then SIL wanted it too. Niece ordered the habanero chocolate cake. Nephew and I each had to try a taste of it. It was like a rich fudge cake going down, but after you swallowed it, you got a zing of heat in your mouth. Unusual and while not unpleasant, it’s not something I’d enjoy a full serving of.

Darrell served our most of our desserts, going back to get Mom and Pop’s sorbets. He apologized to Madam (Mom) for serving her last, but hoped she would understand when she saw her plate. The kitchen had written “Happy 50th Anniversary” with their names in chocolate around the edge of the plate and froze it. Poor Mom lost it then! She started to cry, saying how she had never been so happy in her whole life and loved us all so much. I’m crying remembering this moment. So touching!

Darrell placed the French pots next to me and SIL and gently pressed it for us and served a cup. He explained that the coffee itself was a special blend of beans made exclusively for Disney’s signature restaurants by Joffrey’s. DS was fascinated by the pot and played with it, mixing the grounds all through the rest of the coffee. He’s still such a kid sometimes; good thing I wanted only one cup. Darrell brought us two small dishes of lemon Madelines, compliments of the house. DS ate a few of them; in hindsight, I wish I had asked for them to be boxed up as they would have made a nice snack for our room.

BIL asked Darrell to put all the wine on his bill which was nice. I offered him some money, but he refused, saying it was his pleasure to treat me to some wine since I’m so funny with a buzz. Ha ha! (I did have a few great stories to tell.)

On the way out of the restaurant, Pop paused to shake Darrell’s hand and tell him that he was the best waiter he had ever encountered in any of his travels. As we walked out, I heard a couple of the staff teasing Darrell that he was the best waiter in the World! But you know what? He was! His services were impeccable, and he helped to make the meal an extraordinary experience that none of us will ever forget. I sent an Email to Disney commending him because he was truly incredible at his job.

 

[JerseyJanice]

In 2010, we went to WDW with our friends for a Free Dining trip. We had dinner at LeCellier that trip when was still a one-credit meal. We greatly enjoyed it then so I booked a lunch for 4 there at 1:00 p.m., 6 months in advance of this trip. My in-laws did not appreciate what a coup that was! SIL had made an ADR at Via Napoli, and I tried to convince them to ditch it and join us, but they felt they ate enough steak the night before—while true, now that LeCellier’s lunch will be 2 credits in the future, I’m glad we got to enjoy one more time as a single credit.

So we decided to split up for lunch with DS and I going to LeCellier and all my in-laws going to Via Napoli. They took the Friendship boat across the lagoon while I tried to check into the restaurant a little early. The CM outside told us to come back in 10 minutes, so we went into the gift shop and went to see the Rockies outside there. We went into the restaurant, and they took us a few minutes early.

We were seated at a small table in the middle of the same room we were in last time we ate there. I know the rooms are named for the Canadian provinces, but darned if I can recall which our room was named for. Our waitress was named Gabby. At first, she was a little stiff, but once she got her canned speeches out of the way, she turned out to be a hoot. Another awesome server! We were on a roll this trip with such great CMs.

DS and I both got the cheese soup, which was as heavenly as ever with fresh, warm pretzel bread dunked into it. Gabby said we could have a cup or bowl with the Deluxe plan, but we stuck with a cup each, knowing it would be very filling. I got the famous filet mignon, and DS ordered the strip steak because he loved the sound of the cream cheese mashed potatoes served with it. You don’t think you can eat much in the heat, but once you relax in there and taste their fabulous food, you just want to lick the plate clean. We both picked the chocolate mousse or is it “moose”? That is such a nice dessert and not too filling. It’s much nicer mousse than what they serve at the Luau.

After we ate, we talked to Gabby a bit about the park. She and DS hit it off, and he asked her which line number to pick so we’d be in the top row for Soarin. She was so funny, saying that “newbs” who don’t know any better get in line 2 or 3, as 1 is the top line. She also told us that with Test Track closed, Soarin stays open till 10:00 and a lot of people don’t know that, so it’s a good time to ride it if you don’t get Fastpasses.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Sounds like a fun trip!

It was! Thank you.

Great reviews and thanks for taking the time to do it. Please keep 'em coming. Of course, I'm sitting here getting so hungry reading them.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm not one to do photographs and obviously, those are the most popular reviews--I enjoy looking at the photos myself. However, I blogged our whole trip so I had written it up anyway and figured I'd pull out the dining reviews part and post them here in case anyone is interested in reading them.

 

[JerseyJanice]

After lunch at LeCellier, we met back up with my in-laws and hung out with them in the World Showcase. We split up around 5:30 with them going back to the Lodge and still deciding what to do for dinner while DS and I did some attractions in Future World.

For snacks, DS stopped at a kiosk near Mission Space and got himself a Gatorade and a big sugar cookie (he loves those big Disney cookies). We took the “short-cut” through the Odyssey restaurant into the World Showcase, where I got my snack--a blood orange margarita at LaCava. We stopped at the Norway bakery after riding Maelstrom, and I got us two school breads to eat for breakfast the next morning.

When it began to get dark, I got a beer from the beer cart in Germany, and we searched for an empty spot on the water. We walked toward Italy and come to a terrace that had a rope marked “reserved” in front of it. Hardly anyone was there so we stood next to the rope with no one in front of us blocking our view of the water. A few minutes later, two little boys ran past us and slipped under the rope. They were running wildly so we weren’t sure they were even allowed to be in the “reserved” section, but then they were joined by a man and woman and a CM in a suit. I was standing there, drinking my beer waiting for the show, and DS said to me, “Mom, that’s Hines Ward from the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

What? I took a look at the man and woman who went into the reserved spot with the running children and the CM in the suit. The woman was stunning and had a body so tight you could bounce quarters off her. He was tall, but kind of thin for a football player so I told DS I wasn’t sure it was him for that reason, and DS replied that Hines was a wide receiver so he would be thinner than most football players. Then he said, “Mom, look at the girl he’s with. Your average man does not get a woman who looks like that!”

Well, he was correct so we watched the show, trying to figure out how to approach him. When the show ended, they took the rope down and I tried to make eye contact with the woman, but couldn’t, so I walked right up to Hines and tapped him on the arm, saying, “My son thinks you’re Hines Ward and we really want to know if it’s you.” In a brusque and scary tone of voice, he answered, “Is that a problem?” Taken aback, I said not at all, that we didn’t want to bother him or cause any problems. He gave me a huge smile and wink, and said, “you all have a great night now!” Then we watched them walk behind a building at the edge of Germany, I guess toward some hidden VIP path.

Wow! How excited were we?!?! Here we were, having this excellent vacation and we meet a major celebrity! DS is a huge NFL fan and knows that Hines Ward is a future Hall-of-Famer and has two Super Bowl rings.

Our ADR at the Flying Fish Café for 9:15. We hurried over there, flying high on our celebrity sighting. I complained to the girls at the check-in desk that I must be a mess, and they sweetly told me I looked lovely, but pointed to the restroom where I went to freshen up. (I had some tools for freshening up in my tote bag—hair brush and spray, make-up, travel-sized deodorant and Gold Bond powder.)

The restroom is located through a candy shop and near the Kouzzina entrance—both restaurants share the same one. They seated DS while I was in there and got him a Sprite. He and our waiter, Bob, were good friends by the time I came out. I looked at the drink menu and ordered the cotton candy martini which turned out to be O.K., but sweeter than I expected from a martini—yes, even one flavored like cotton candy.

Bob brought us bread with sea salt sprinkled butter and told us some things about the menu. He was yet another awesome waiter. We told him about our celebrity sighting, and he seemed impressed. DS ordered the shrimp cocktail for his appetizer, and he said, “oh, we’re out of shrimp.” A moment later, he said, just kidding! So then I asked for the crab cake appetizer, and he said, “oh no, we’re out of those.” I went, “awww…” and again, he said, “just kidding” and that he couldn’t believe I fell for it, but he had to tease us because we got to meet Hines Ward, and he didn’t. Ha ha!

For my entrée, I selected the signature potato-wrapped snapper. The prix fixe option was tempting except for the dessert. A banana napoleon didn’t sound that appealing, and I already had my heart set on the boardwalk concessions dessert. DS chose the pork tenderloin with truffle mac and cheese. I knew that his side would be great since I loved the Steakhouse’s version of truffled mac.

DS literally inhaled his shrimp, much like he did his lobster the night before. I swear I looked at his plate, saw his food, then looked again and it was gone. Just like magic! My crab cake was truly delicious. The remoulade sauce on top gave it a nice bite, and I gobbled it down, though nowhere as quickly as DS ate his shrimp.

I loved the signature snapper dish, potato wrapped filet served with leek fondue and red wine sauce. I remember reading that you need to eat everything in the dish together in order to appreciate it, and that turned out to be true. The leek fondue was more of a relish than a side dish and didn’t taste fabulous by itself. DS’s pork looked excellent and he ate the entire piece, but didn’t touch the mac and cheese, made there with gemelli pasta, as opposed to the orecchiette served at the Steakhouse. Bob kindly boxed it up for us.

As planned, I ordered the boardwalk concessions plate, and DS got the PB&J crème brulee. The pieces of my dish were smaller than I expected them to be based on the photos I had seen. The popcorn mousse was to-die-for delicious and very out-of-ordinary. It's sweet and buttery, and has a lovely light texture. The pound cake fries looked awesome, but weren’t very tasty. I think they’re there more for decoration than consumption. The popsicle was surprisingly delicious and refreshing. I didn’t love the whoopie pie. It came coated with an icing that I thought was too sweet, but DS tasted it and loved it so he ate the whole thing. I would have taken a bite of his crème brulee, but he ate the best part—the sugar crust—before I could get any, then sucked up the rest of it in what seemed like seconds.

I liked the tiny Coke glass that the popsicle came in and told Bob that. He then told us a great story about how the Coca-Cola Company came to Walt while he was still buying land in Florida to build Disney World and asked to partner with his company.

We adored the Flying Fish Café. Our food was excellent, Bob was wonderful, and the décor was whimsical and sophisticated at the same time. I loved the “flying fish” that appeared throughout the restaurant’s decor. We were the last people leaving the restaurant for the night; they had to unlock the doors to let us exit, but I was pleased overall with the way I scheduled our two meals that day. Eating late at the FFC allowed us to enjoy Epcot till it closed and we had seen Illuminations.

 

[JerseyJanice]

When we woke up the next morning, I got soda and coffee in our mugs, and we dined on a schoolbread apiece. Today would be our Magic Kingdom day and we had an ADR at the California Grill for dinner at 5:30. We met up with my in-laws at the MK; they had gotten there earlier after eating breakfast at Chef Mickey’s. After we did some rides together, we headed to Splash Mountain to use Fastpasses they had gotten for everyone. DS decided he was starving on the way and stopped for a turkey leg. I noticed that you can get one with a counter service credit now. It’s listed as a Quick Service credit on the kiosk menu. You get a leg, soda, bag of chips and an ice cream for dessert. DS just paid cash for a leg since we were in a hurry to get to the ride, and the others were full from their CM breakfast so we wouldn't be stopping to eat a meal.

I don’t care for the smoked legs and think they taste more like ham than turkey, and I don’t love ham. But I helped DS eat the one he bought to help save time. After choking it down while walking, we discovered that the whole ride was shut down temporarily. No one there knew when it would be back up, but the CMs told us our Fastpasses would be honored anytime because of the inconvenience. One CM told BIL that we could stop in any gift shop anytime and ask them to call and see if Splash was back up.

After doing Pirates of the Caribbean together, BIL asked a CM in the gift shop at the exit to check on Splash. They said it was running again, so we headed back, only to get there and find the ride not moving and maintenance men walking around the outside of the attraction. My in-laws decided they wanted to go back to the Lodge for a break, but DS and I wanted to stay. I guess it was around 2:00 and our ADR at the California Grill was at 5:00, so we figured that we’d go straight there from the park.

I was starving at that point though, having had only the school bread in the morning and some of the turkey leg. I really wanted to try an orange and vanilla twist at the Sunshine Tree Terrace, so we headed there. That thing really hit the spot! It was sweet and tangy and refreshing all at the same time. Excellent! DS got a root beer float, and after we ate our treats, we cut through the hub to get to Tomorrowland. We got Fastpasses for Buzz Lightyear that would be up soon, so we rode the People Mover while waiting for our FP time. After Buzz, DS took my card and ran over to Space Mountain to get two Fastpasses for it. I think the window came up 7:00 to 8:00, which worked perfectly for our ADR time.

I was craving a cocktail at this point and suggested we head over to the Contemporary. DS always loves exploring the shops and arcade there, and DH and I had a delightful visit to the Outer Rim Lounge in 2009. We took the monorail and parted in the Grand Concourse with him heading to the arcade and me to the Outer Rim. Much to my surprise and delight, the same bartender (Ray) who served DH and me in 2009 was there again. Seems like when bartenders grab a good gig at WDW, they stay with it. Also during the 2009 trip, DH and I hit the Tune-In Lounge in the Studios. When we went back in September 2011, we had the same barmaid.

I ordered a tropical Mojito since I usually love these in WDW, but I don’t know what was wrong with this one. It just didn’t taste the way I expected it to after drinking dozens of these at Petals in Pop Century in 2010. Still, a cold adult beverage on a hot day hit the spot, and I got into conversation with Ray and the waitress. Ray dazzled me with some of his magic tricks, and before long, DS joined us. Ray gave him a Sprite and refilled my drink before I could tell him I wanted something else. I accepted it, though, without a word.

He showed DS a couple of tricks and refilled his soda. I finished my drink and realized it was close enough to our ADR time to check in. Ray offered to make me a drink to go, but I didn’t want to show up at the restaurant with one, so I said no and asked for the bill. Somewhat surprisingly, he charged me for both sodas that DS drank. I understand why he had to and I wasn’t mad, just taken a little aback. Back home—which granted is not a tourist area—they rarely charge for kids’ sodas where parents are buying drinks, and it’s even rarer to be charged for a soda refill. I really like Ray and his tricks and the Outer Rim Lounge; I’d stop there anytime I wanted a drink near the Magic Kingdom, but he obviously did everything he could to pump up my bill.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Before checking in for CG at the desk, I went to the restroom to freshen up the way I had the previous night before my Flying Fish meal. We checked in at the podium where a young man brought all guests with similar ADR times to an express elevator up to the top of the World. I had been up there before when they allowed WDW resort guests on the roof to see the MK fireworks, but I’d never been there in daylight. Oh, my, it is a gorgeous place! The view is spectacular, and I loved the décor with its colorful glass sculptures. We were led to our table, which was a two-seater up against the window where we had an amazing view of the Magic Kingdom and the monorail. We could see clear to the horizon almost all the way around.

Our waiter was Marc, yet another amazingly professional and delightful server. I’ll tell you—the wait staff just blew me away this trip. While pouring us glasses of water, he explained that the menu is changed frequently to take advantage of seasonal foods, and because of that, there were no additional specials. I ordered a glass of rosa regale, explaining that I knew it was supposed to be a dessert wine, but I missed ordering a glass at Epcot like I usually do. He told me it’s not that uncommon, and I should look for it in a good wine store at home. (Yes, I’ve since found and purchased it in New Jersey.)

After checking our room cards to see that we were on the Deluxe Plan, he gave us some guidance on the menu, saying that we could have any sushi as an appetizer except for one item (a Yoshi roll or something?) that is considered an entrée. I have to admit I was feeling a little put out at this point because the menu was not appealing to me. I heard so much about the flatbreads; there were four varieties offered, but not one topping combination listed sounded good to me. Marc recommended the goat cheese ravioli, but I knew it would be a single gigantic one and that didn’t interest me plus I sometimes have trouble digesting goat cheese. The cheese plate sounded very similar to the one I got at the Yachtsman, so I didn’t want that. Meanwhile, my son ordered the California rolls with lump crab meat. I spotted something that interested me because it had squash blossoms—a delicacy that my grandmother used to grow in her garden and cook for us. CG’s version was served “Oscar” style with mini crab cakes, asparagus and hollandaise sauce.

We mulled over the menu after we ordered our appetizers. Neither of us was crazy about the sound of any of the entrees. The one that sounded best to me was the filet (although I don’t think any barbecue sauce—even teriyaki—belongs on filet) but I was feeling “steaked out” at that point having dined at the Yachtsman and LeCellier. DS felt the same way. After much deliberation, he chose the lamb T-bone, and I picked the Columbia River salmon. We got our appetizers and told Marc our decisions.

DS’s California roll looked great, but he inhaled it before I could get a taste. That kid is growing so fast, his appetite is enormous, and he can eat faster than lightning! He told me that they were excellent. I did not care for my squash blossom Oscar appetizer, though. The blossoms themselves were nothing like I remembered from my childhood. They were huge and filled with what I thought was goat cheese and chunks of undercooked squash, then coated in tempura batter and fried. The two tiny crab cakes served alongside them were not as tasty as the crab cake I got at the Flying Fish. The delicate flavor and texture of the squash blossoms got lost in all the molten, ugly green cheese, and the two asparagus spears served on the plate were seriously undercooked. The idea sounded interesting, but the dish was not executed well.

Funny thing is that I don’t recall the menu mentioning cheese in the dish. I tried to find the menu description on-line to see how I missed it, and I discovered it was supposed to be a blend of three cheeses—provolone, asiago and something else. Hard to imagine that was what I was served though. The cheese in my dish tasted gamey and was liquefied and greenish in color like it was an herbed goat cheese. I love cheese, but this stuff was really gross. (It would be too disgusting to state what it most resembled in texture and appearance, but you can guess at what a viscous pale green liquid resembles.)

Neither of our entrees was very enjoyable either. DS’s lamb was too rare; I told him to send it back, but he didn’t want to and ate about half of one (two were served). I liked the flavor of my salmon very much at first, but it had some super ugly skin on top that turned me off to it. I seriously disliked the pea risotto it was served atop; the peas tasted raw and the rice was too bland. I tried some of the artichoke hearts that came on DS’s plate because I generally love them, but these were way too undercooked. Maybe the kitchen at CG always undercooks their vegetables; I know of places that do, but I hate when veggies are too tough and raw-tasting to enjoy. I like salad and eat it every day—that’s where raw veggies belong. IMO, asparagus, peas and artichokes should be cooked until they’re a little tender and not served crunchy and hard.

I must say that while we were finding the food disappointing, we still enjoyed being in the restaurant. The views were astounding from our table; a thunderstorm rolled in and out while we dined. How cool to see it so high up! The lightning was spectacular to watch! We saw the monorail stopped for quite a while once or twice. I even liked watching the buses drive under the water bridge. And of course, you have great views of the MK Mountains.

Marc brought out dessert menus that were once again a bust for me. DS selected the Heather’s Cookie Platter because he really likes cookies, but I saw no sign of the butterscotch crème brulee that I was hoping would be on the menu. There was no crème brulee of any kind and that really disappointed me. So I chose the molten chocolate cake and didn’t love it. The cake itself was too “chocolatey” and had no discernible subtle side flavors like vanilla and egg. I think it should have been served hot too; it was just lukewarm. The strawberry ice cream served with it looked and tasted exactly like Breyer’s strawberry—not bad, but hardly haute cuisine.

DS’s cookie platter had an espresso sized cup of what? Chocolate milk with malted milk foam? It was just bizarre, if you ask me. There were some shortbread cookies and moon pies on the platter that DS gobbled up; he really liked them, so his whole dessert wasn’t a bust even though he barely touched the lemon bars that make up the remainder of his selection. I ordered a cup of coffee that tasted much better than your average cup of Disney coffee, but was nothing out of the ordinary like the French press pot served at the Yachtsman. I think it was the same coffee as I got at the Flying Fish the night before—decent but not remarkable.

As we settled up our check, Marc explained that we were welcome to come back to the observation deck with our receipt to later see Wishes. He told us it would be a different perspective from all the way up there. While that interested me, I wanted to see the Magic Memories show and Main Street Electric Parade too, so I knew we wouldn’t be back. After saying good evening and thanking him, DS and I went out on the deck and took photos of each other out there.

I had wanted to dine at the California Grill for years, but in the months leading up to the trip, I didn’t make an ADR there because the reviews seemed to be mixed all of a sudden. When DH was going to be with us, I had an ADR at Narcoosees. When he had to cancel, I switched plans to the Crystal Palace. Problem was that I could only get a late ADR at 8:40, then DS went there for lunch with his aunt and uncle on the first day. When I was able to get a 5:30 ADR at the CG, I went for it, and DS and I were both excited to go there. It’s too bad there is no polite way to walk out if you don’t like the menu after seeing it in the restaurant. Plus there is the cancellation policy. In hindsight, I wished I had asked them to make me a margarita flatbread and ordered the filet in spite of having so much beef already.

 

[nanienamou]

Thank you for sharing your reviews. It's a shame Cali Grill was a let down.