Extended Halloween Weekend Trip-Tokyo/La Cava/AbracadaBar Update

[crabbygal902]

Hi, all! I'm Crabbygal. Don't worry about the name, I'm more bark than bite! My family and a couple of our close friends went for a quick trip from October 29th through November 2nd. We spent most of our time at F&W Festival but managed to visit some restaurants and bars as well.

Day 1

The first stop on our monorail beverage and apps tour was the California Grill lounge. I cannot recommend this highly enough. I have done this several times and it works beautifully, no ADR needed. However, you should plan to arrive early in the evening to find a table if you are interested in trying this. We enjoyed the beautiful sunset, beverages, great service, and some appetizers. Everything we had was good: the goat cheese ravioli, the artisan tacos, and my favorite...the crispy rock shrimp salad. I tried the cucumber fizz cocktail, but it was too sweet for my taste. It is beautiful drink, though! Next time, I'll stick to the wine. The Kim Crawford Spitfire is my favorite on a hot day. Man, was it hot: 86 degrees in late October! I think my friend got a Manhattan. Whatever it was, she really liked it.

We went to the Tiki Terrace at the Poly next. I had been to Trader Sam's previously and it is not the place for me (too small and crowded, don't enjoy the antics) but I loved the terrace. With its view and entertainment, it is a great place to relax. By now, the sun was down and the weather was perfect for sitting outside. We had more apps: the same wings and pot stickers served at 'Ohana, and chicken lettuce cups. My friend and I shared a rum flight (loved this), my DH tried a couple of the beers, and my DS11 had a no-booze Skipper Sipper that came in a very nice specialty glass. On a side note, I was very glad that we were passing by 'Ohana instead of eating there that evening. Holy Moly! The check-in line was crazy long and there were people EVERYWHERE upstairs, some of whom being very un-Disneylike. I would suggest if you are going to eat at 'Ohana, try for an early or a later ADR to avoid some of the nuttiness.

We tried to get in to Citricos for another stop on the app/beverage tour, but there was no room. Mizner's was closed (I think for refurb?) so we hopped on the monorail and finished the evening back at Cali Grill. We were able to show our receipt and come back for fireworks and champagne. What a magical way to end the evening!

 

[ibcindyb]

Thanks for your review, sounds like a great first day!

 

[crabbygal902]

Day 2 began with a simple breakfast of English muffins and juice in our room at Bay Lake Towers. What a convenience that was, to have a toaster, microwave, and fridge in the room. We spent the morning and early afternoon at Epcot, visiting a bunch of the F&W booths and snacking Around the World. We made our way over to MK for the MNSSHP and had an early dinner at Columbia Harbor House while we waited for the Haunted Mansion line to die down. It has been years since I visited, but it is now near the top of my list. We had the lighthouse and anchors aweigh sandwiches, the shrimp mac and cheese, grilled salmon, and the chicken pot pie. Everyone shared so we could have a taste of it all. The only complaint is that the sandwich bread was soggy, but it didn't really bother us that the fresh veggies had a little water on them. The best things that I tried were the shrimp mac and cheese and the steamed broccoli. It is so nice to have choices other than the usual theme park fare! We also love CHH for the upstairs area that people seem to forget that is there. It is surprisingly peaceful, a great place to get away from the crowds.

 

[tluvstink]

Your monorail apps and drinks tour sounds like a lot of fun! I may have to try that sometime.

Terri

 

[crabbygal902]

Day 3: Halloween--began with some Epcot rides and then a F&W chef demonstration. If you have never tried one of these before, give it a shot. We paid $15 per person for a demo that lasted an hour or so and had a small plate of quail, potatoes, and salad with a pretty generous pour of Meomi Pinot Noir. Sodas were available for those who didn't want wine. It was a great value and was very entertaining.

After the demo, we ended up at the Mexico F&W booth. I won't get into all the booth reviews here since I've already done that in another thread, but I want to mention Mexico since was our favorite. We tasted the shrimp taco (outstanding), the barbacoa enchilada (it was so good I am trying to figure out how to make it at home. I think that the tortilla was hand made and that may have been why it was delicious) and the flan (very good.) We had a glass of the sangria (it was fine for sangria I guess, but sangria is not really my thing.)

We then visited La Cava de Tequila. I now have a new favorite spot to visit at WDW! I love everything about it: the food, the drinks, the atmosphere, and the service. There was a long wait to be seated--maybe 40 minutes if I remember correctly, but we were just fine with standing at the tall communal table. We were able to walk right in. I didn't realize that this was even a possibility and had skipped visiting La Cava in the past. I hope this helps someone else who wants to try it but is put off by the long line. We tried the blood orange margarita (a little too sweet but pretty good, although the folks I was with loved it) and the jalapeño margarita (now, that was fantastic!) We had some chips with queso and with salsa which were also incredibly good. The salsa is smoky and has a great flavor, the chips on the thicker side and very tasty, and what's not to like about melted cheese?

We spent the afternoon at the World Showcase and went later in the day to the Chase Lounge in the American Adventure pavilion to rest. If you have the Disney Visa card, you really should take advantage of this perk. The Coke freestyle machines are there for you to use as you like, as is water and tea. I think there may have been coffee, but it was so dang hot I wasn't paying attention to that. The main sitting area is usually crowded, but there is another room down the hallway that is pretty empty most of the time. The lounge is a great place to relax; I saw several people with eyes closed at their tables, catching a quick nap. There are device charging stations, which is a great convenience.

We decided to have a light dinner before our group parted ways, so I got on the MDE app and found a last minute ADR for 6 at Tokyo Dining. I was not excited about this at all but chose it since my DH and DSs love Japanese culture and it was the best of the close options available. As a side note, there were many terrific choices for last minute ADRs when I checked. You may not get the elusive Be Our Guest or 'Ohana, but you may find a new favorite just like we did.

SHHHH! Don't tell anybody....this will just be between us....Tokyo Dining is wonderful! What a hidden gem! The service is incredibly good and the staff is so polite. The hot towels when you arrive at your table is a nice touch. Simply cleaning your hands makes you feel better after a hot, sticky day in the parks. The atmosphere is calm and quiet, which is a nice change from the noise and crowds. We sat by a window with a lovely view of passersby and the water. Unless there is a crowd that forms in front of you on the balcony, I bet this would be a great place to see Illuminations. When we ordered our food, we had soups, apps, and lighter portions of sushi since we had been snacking all day long. The miso soup, ramen, spicy edamame, and sushi were all very good. My plate was particularly pretty; I had the Uramaki Volcano Roll. Well, I should say I was SUPPOSED to have that roll but chopsticks flew at me from all sides and I actually only managed to eat one piece. I am ready to go back and try entrees on our next visit.

You would think that by now we would've been rolling on our sides around Epcot, full from snacks and meals but, no! We managed to squeeze in one last dessert from Les Halles in France. On a previous trip, we fell in love with the place. This was not the case this time. We went several times and it was good enough but not as great as I remember. We got an eclair and some mousse to share and sat outside on the sidewalk in France while we waited for Illuminations to begin. Even though I was a little let down by Les Halles, the total experience was one of my favorite memories of the trip: watching my boys who fuss and argue much of the time getting along, having dessert in a beautiful location, talking about their day in WDW.

We watched Illuminations and then met our friends on the Boardwalk, who had seen the Star Wars fireworks show at DHS. We weren't quite ready to go back to our hotels yet, so we stopped in at AbracadaBar for a nightcap. It was such a lovely evening and the view of the water is so nice, we chose to sit outside with our drinks. Before I give my opinion, I readily admit that: 1. I dislike magic tricks and all things associated with them so the theme doesn't appeal to me 2. We sat outside and didn't get the full experience. The drinks were just fine, the Magic Hattan was especially good. The atmosphere isn't going to pull me back in, but I wouldn't hesitate to go back and enjoy outdoor seating if it is convenient to my plans again.