Motherofboys
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2006
- Messages
- 702
Just got back from a short trip with my Mom and 2 sisters. We were DDP first timers 
We had a wonderful time and had some great food, and some okay food. We learned so much about the DDP on this trip! I learned so much beforehand, thanks to my friends on the Dis 
so now I will share our experience and the lessons learned.
Our flight got in around 5, got on magical express and headed to OKW. Check in around 6, only 2 studios remaining!! Both were handicapped, so no long baths on this trip
The room was nice though, enough room for the four of us and the grounds were beautiful. We saw more little geckos then you could shake a stick at! My DS7 would have been in heaven 
Attention: these reviews are going to be detailed, I like details!
There will not be pictures, we took very few pics in the restaurants, I love looking at other people's pics and appreciate their boldness, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. 
Sorry in advance.
Ok, on with it: Day 1, Arrival and Kona
We hopped on the DTD bus by 6:35, transferred to the Poly bus at DTD, and still arrived 5 minutes late for our 7:40 ressie. No worries though, we got our table at 7:50.
Drinks: DM: lapu lapu (yummy, had a nice rum kick!), virgin strawberry daquiri (sp?), Me: virgin strawberry daquiri, DS27: backscratcher, virgin sand in the pants (mix of strawberry daq and pina colada, this was the best!!), and DS21: lapu lapu and diet coke. The waitress very kindly explained that we could get one non-alcoholic drink with the DDP, no refills on the specialty frozen drinks though. I asked if I could switch to coffee for dessert and she said no, not unless I paid OOP. The drinks were good, sweet and cute. She also brought ice water with the drinks.
She brought out our sweet hawaiian bread (think king's rolls and bread) with a honey macadamia nut butter, YUM! We were so hungry from the flight and long trek, and it was fresh, warm, and delicious.
Next came out the apps, here's the rundown:
DM: chowder, this was excellent. Full of seafood, creamy, very good.
Me: duck potstickers, these were good. Not very "duck" tasting, good potstickers though.
DS 27: sticky wings, we all like these too. They had a soy, garlic, ginger taste and were not too sweet. The little salad on the plate was excellent.
DS 21: crab cakes, YUM! These were very different and very good. They had sort of a fried texture and were delicious.
Entrees came out shortly after, not too soon though. We did not feel rushed during the meal, the restaurant was not too crowdy or noisy, and our waitress was friendly. Just in case you were wondering. Ok, back to the food
DM: prime rib, this was good. She liked the sauce with it and the mashed potatoes were amazing!
Me: filet, good. Ok, I am an idiot. All my hours on the dis and I go and order it medium-rare, BIG MISTAKE! It was way too rare, and I like a good rare steak. I should have ordered it medium, lesson learned. The mushroom sauce was good, again the mashed potatoes were outstanding.
DS27: teriyaki sirloin, hands down the winner! This was a shock to me. You say meat and pineapple, I say heresy!! I hate fruit with meat, but this was amazing! It just tasted delicious. I will get this next time.
DS21: shrimp and scallops, good also. The sauces were nice compliments to the seafood, and she was very happy when the waitress asked her if she would like the shrimp grilled instead of fried. The shrimp and scallops were cooked perfectly and well seasoned.
Desserts
DM: apple brown betty. Average, just normal apple crisp with ice cream.
Me: white chocolate cheesecake. Very nice, good light ending to the meal and I enjoyed the brady snap it came with. I still ended up taking most of it home.
DS27: Macadamia chocolate torte. This was good too, kind of like a hawaiian take on pecan pie. Very rich, she ate only a small bit of it and took the rest home.
DS 21: kilauea torte, very good. Very intense chocolate, very pretty presentation. She took most of it with her.
That was it for us, we were full beyond belief and had 2 bags of take out containers
We quickly learned later in the trip not to bother taking too many leftovers back. It was tons of food!
We absolutely loved the atmosphere of the Poly, I am so jealous of all the lucky people who stay there, it is just beautiful, especially at night!
So overall, we loved Kona and will be going back!
Next up, Day 2.....Le Cellier, Wolfgang Puck Cafe, and CS at Epcot
We had a wonderful time and had some great food, and some okay food. We learned so much about the DDP on this trip! I learned so much beforehand, thanks to my friends on the Dis so now I will share our experience and the lessons learned. Our flight got in around 5, got on magical express and headed to OKW. Check in around 6, only 2 studios remaining!! Both were handicapped, so no long baths on this trip
The room was nice though, enough room for the four of us and the grounds were beautiful. We saw more little geckos then you could shake a stick at! My DS7 would have been in heaven Attention: these reviews are going to be detailed, I like details!
There will not be pictures, we took very few pics in the restaurants, I love looking at other people's pics and appreciate their boldness, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Sorry in advance.Ok, on with it: Day 1, Arrival and Kona
We hopped on the DTD bus by 6:35, transferred to the Poly bus at DTD, and still arrived 5 minutes late for our 7:40 ressie. No worries though, we got our table at 7:50.
Drinks: DM: lapu lapu (yummy, had a nice rum kick!), virgin strawberry daquiri (sp?), Me: virgin strawberry daquiri, DS27: backscratcher, virgin sand in the pants (mix of strawberry daq and pina colada, this was the best!!), and DS21: lapu lapu and diet coke. The waitress very kindly explained that we could get one non-alcoholic drink with the DDP, no refills on the specialty frozen drinks though. I asked if I could switch to coffee for dessert and she said no, not unless I paid OOP. The drinks were good, sweet and cute. She also brought ice water with the drinks.
She brought out our sweet hawaiian bread (think king's rolls and bread) with a honey macadamia nut butter, YUM! We were so hungry from the flight and long trek, and it was fresh, warm, and delicious.
Next came out the apps, here's the rundown:
DM: chowder, this was excellent. Full of seafood, creamy, very good.
Me: duck potstickers, these were good. Not very "duck" tasting, good potstickers though.
DS 27: sticky wings, we all like these too. They had a soy, garlic, ginger taste and were not too sweet. The little salad on the plate was excellent.
DS 21: crab cakes, YUM! These were very different and very good. They had sort of a fried texture and were delicious.
Entrees came out shortly after, not too soon though. We did not feel rushed during the meal, the restaurant was not too crowdy or noisy, and our waitress was friendly. Just in case you were wondering. Ok, back to the food
DM: prime rib, this was good. She liked the sauce with it and the mashed potatoes were amazing!
Me: filet, good. Ok, I am an idiot. All my hours on the dis and I go and order it medium-rare, BIG MISTAKE! It was way too rare, and I like a good rare steak. I should have ordered it medium, lesson learned. The mushroom sauce was good, again the mashed potatoes were outstanding.
DS27: teriyaki sirloin, hands down the winner! This was a shock to me. You say meat and pineapple, I say heresy!! I hate fruit with meat, but this was amazing! It just tasted delicious. I will get this next time.
DS21: shrimp and scallops, good also. The sauces were nice compliments to the seafood, and she was very happy when the waitress asked her if she would like the shrimp grilled instead of fried. The shrimp and scallops were cooked perfectly and well seasoned.
Desserts
DM: apple brown betty. Average, just normal apple crisp with ice cream.
Me: white chocolate cheesecake. Very nice, good light ending to the meal and I enjoyed the brady snap it came with. I still ended up taking most of it home.
DS27: Macadamia chocolate torte. This was good too, kind of like a hawaiian take on pecan pie. Very rich, she ate only a small bit of it and took the rest home.
DS 21: kilauea torte, very good. Very intense chocolate, very pretty presentation. She took most of it with her.
That was it for us, we were full beyond belief and had 2 bags of take out containers
We quickly learned later in the trip not to bother taking too many leftovers back. It was tons of food! We absolutely loved the atmosphere of the Poly, I am so jealous of all the lucky people who stay there, it is just beautiful, especially at night!
So overall, we loved Kona and will be going back!
Next up, Day 2.....Le Cellier, Wolfgang Puck Cafe, and CS at Epcot
DS has a tree nut allergy. 
). Alas my time chatting it up with the handsome Norwegian was cut short as other visitors entered the store (how rude!) and so we went to an outside table to enjoy the school bread. 
The hostess was like, “Sorry, I can’t seat you”. The lady replied “Take the card, I’m calling him, I’m sure he has our number”. She then sat down and ignored the hostess. We saw her later in the meal at a table for 2 (originally she had been claiming she had a party of 7!). So maybe try the big shot in Vegas card if you can’t get a table at Le Cellier. 
Ok, now for a little aside on the title of this trip report. Those hard core food fans can skip ahead to dessert. When we sat down we got a decent table, not too close to anyone else, or so we thought. Then the table next to us settled in. The Grandma at that table was literally the Grandma from Hell (hereinafter, GFH). She was “a lady”, she was “a business woman” and above all she was an expert on the South Beach diet. How do I know all this? This woman talked loud, talked forcefully, and NEVER shut up. I was so happy when their meals finally arrived, I thought finally she would quit for a few minutes. Unfortunately, that was not the case the motor mouth kept on running. Until….that blessed potato salad came onto the scene. My sister had let me try a little of hers and I said “That’s good; it has a little kick to it”. It is very mild, something I would let my little ones eat. 
