Grateful, Thankful, Blessed: our 25th Anniversary SeaWorld Celebration (Spring ’18 TR)

[chiamarie]

Yes- there was soup and salad. I still can't believe that I think I've found someone that's a more picky eater than me!


And you (or perhaps at least Steve) won't be disappointed by Rocco's.

 

[chicagoshannon]

Yes- there was soup and salad. I still can't believe that I think I've found someone that's a more picky eater than me!


And you (or perhaps at least Steve) won't be disappointed by Rocco's.

If you want to feel like a non picky eater have a meal with Duncan. All he eats is spaghetti and nuggets with an occasional yogurt and applesauce.

 

[Joanna71985]

I love Kobe's! I go all the time (there is soup, then salad, then the main course- noodles, rice, veggies, meat). And now I am craving Kobe's, dang it!

Also...I always use a to-go box (most of the time on purpose so I can have more the next day)

 

[Pumpkin1172]

From what we have seen of the poutine from Disney Springs, it is definitely an Americanized version....but that is to be expected, really. If you ask any Canadian, they'll tell you that the secret to good poutine is in the cheese curds. I can't say I've even SEEN a cheese curd outside of Canada, so that has to make authentic poutine tough to achieve. I know Steve almost cried when he saw that they put bolognese sauce and mozzarella on French fries and called it "Italian Poutine" .

The daughter and I visited the Poutine Restaurant when we visited Orlando. It was just after it had opened. We were very disappointed with our meal. I will say I have to agree with you...the key is cheese curds. When our server asked us how we liked it...she was surprised when we told her how disappointed we were and that as Canadians...that wasn't poutine by Canadian Standards Oh well, you live and learn.
We also loved the Coke roof top restaurant as well. We really enjoyed it. We hit Disney Springs on a low crowd day and it was fantastic. We had fantastic weather...and it was just after the US thanksgiving before Xmas so the christmas decorations were so beautiful.

Love reading your trip report so far!!!! The hotel looks like an amazing place. I will have to put a reminder to put that as a place for a maybe one day

 

[chiamarie]

I'm randomly reading other comments....

Cheese Curds definitely exist here in the states. And that is one food that I wont come anywhere close to touching, let alone eat!

 

[skylock]

I'm randomly reading other comments....

Cheese Curds definitely exist here in the states. And that is one food that I wont come anywhere close to touching, let alone eat!

You are missing out, big time. Esp fried. Mmmmmm good.

 

[chicagoshannon]

I'm randomly reading other comments....

Cheese Curds definitely exist here in the states. And that is one food that I wont come anywhere close to touching, let alone eat!

Yes, being born and raised in WI I can attest to that! AND they're GROOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheese should NOT squeak!

 

[chicagoshannon]

Also, Gina, I leave in 4 hours. Need to read your Wunderland review! LOL

 

[AntimonyER]

Yes, being born and raised in WI I can attest to that! AND they're GROOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheese should NOT squeak!

^This is how you get kicked out of WI. That and wearing a Brett Favre Vikings jersey.

 

[goofballs]

^This is how you get kicked out of WI. That and wearing a Brett Favre Vikings jersey.

Trust me. Minnesotans will not be caught in a Favre Vikings jersey either. Definitely a top 3 worst MN sports move ever (along with Herschel Walker and Dallas Stars)

 

[AntimonyER]

Trust me. Minnesotans will not be caught in a Favre Vikings jersey either. Definitely a top 3 worst MN sports move ever (along with Herschel Walker and Dallas Stars)

Don't have to tell me, I was born there.

 

[chicagoshannon]

^This is how you get kicked out of WI. That and wearing a Brett Favre Vikings jersey.

I guess that's why I don't live there anymore. lol But seriously, curds are nasty!

 

[pattyw]

Also, Gina, I leave in 4 hours. Need to read your Wunderland review! LOL

Have a great trip!

 

[bankr63]

Hello!

As you can see, I'm a few pages behind. Just back from a couple of weeks camping and catching up slowly. Wanted you to know that I am still around.

Have a question about the Nike Outlet (the real one, not the big box one). Have you ever seen "real" track cleat shoes on the shelves? I haven't been to this store but know that cleats are never carried at the big outlet mall stores. Hoping maybe the real outlet gets some. DS is in varsity track and made it to provincials this year. He (with a little help) buys a couple of pairs of these shoes each year - these things are heart stoppingly expensive, stupendously lightweight, rice paper thin, and wear out as if made of rice paper. Kind of wondering if it might be worth a stop in next trip to check for stock.

We opted to head toward the Marketplace first, since it’s the most familiar to us. We paused in front of the Poutine Restaurant, and vowed that we must make this a stop on a future trip: just to assess the authenticity of our nation’s favourite food. An idea for October, perhaps?

Meh. We tried it in March. Some interesting combos, but when you live so close to the "original" location, these imitations pale a bit in comparison. IMO it's the fresh curds and the from scratch old French Canadian Grand-mere's gravy recipe that has been simmering for hours that makes the meal. Still an enjoyable endulgence, but not like home.

We actually found a TON of cool stuff in Mickey’s Pantry…..oddly enough, its one of the places we’d never bothered to stop in before.

Now that surprises me! Mickey's Pantry always seems to have some interesting stuff not found elsewhere at Disney. It's been a stop for us every trip!

This past trip we got into their spice section. I've been looking for a few years for a replacement for my favorite steak rub that has become near impossible to get here. We tried a couple of options, but none compared. I asked the CM if she had anything hotter. She offered me a sample of their Scorpion Pepper Salt rub. She actually made me hand all of my parcels to her, and was going to make me sit down before sampling. I guess maybe they have had some incidents I managed to convince her that I could handle it. It was pretty good, but not really as hot as it sounds. I bought a couple of packages and have been enjoying them all summer on grilled steaks.

 

[Monykalyn]

Cheese should NOT squeak!

but that's how you tell a real curd from the wanna be's!

Who knew Gina could set of a cheese curd controversy

 

[dalmatian7]

Just a garden spider? Makes me not want to know what other kinds of spiders you have around you. Eek if I ever found one of those inside the house.

Right? As of now it hasn't moved all week. Just keeps making its web more intricate.

Halloweekends sounds like so much fun!! And the no-boo necklaces are a fantastic idea!! I could have used one of those at my first HHN .

So nice that you ladies can pair up while the guys have each other. The perfect balance .



Poor Violet is in for another day of misery tomorrow....Wednesday's are my cleaning days . I'll be doing a lot of apologizing by 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon and offering some Temptations as a peace offering . Dash, on the other hand, will disappear for the duration. He is afraid of my Dyson, poor little soul.



I am with Alamo as well, through Costco. Must have been just a temporary drop because its gone back up by the same amount. I am still hoping for a bit more of a decline once Labor Day passes. I would be ecstatic to get the rate down to somewhere between $200 and $225.

That spider is crazy big!!!! I'm never been a fan of creepy crawlies, but after my bite earlier this summer, I despise them even more. Be careful around those little buggers, some of their relatives can pack a nasty punch. I am sure I probably shared this picture with you a few months ago, but this was the product of my encounter with a spider in my gardens:

I even have a scar now. I hate spiders!!!!

You guys are going to have a blast at Discovery Cove......I think it will be a perfect compliment to your cruise vacation. Refresh my memory.....have you been before, or is this a first for your family? And will you be doing the dolphin swim or the day resort?



The face only a mother could love!!

Ugh that bite. That is why once I found it I read all up on it. I have had similar bites and if this was a medically important bitting spider, it was getting a two boot clap. So far it really hasn't moved. Yesterday I found a huge snake skin out by the pool and have been woken by coyote every night this week. I swear my yard is decorating itself for Halloween. Just as long as everyone stays outside. I started my war on the little wispy spider that were accumulating in corners inside last night. My first holiday task after groceries this weekend is a whole house deep clean. Whoop whoop big fun. I keep thinking, " last year we left for Florida today" oh well Oct will be here soon enough.

On Oct, yes this is our first DCLcruise (DH and I had one really bad cruise 13 years ago on another line) our first trip to DC and Dd7s first SW experience. I kind of went all out on the DC day. We are dolphin swimming and doing the newish animal trek tour.I went with the tour because we had originally wanted to do an animal experience on our SW day, but adding DC makes our SW day our last day and I wanted to have time to get all the shows in without adding something else. My vacation math justified it because we aren't doing any cruise excursions. Oh and I reserved a daybed. I hate looking for chairs when I want to relax. The message was temping but my financial.sense got the best of me. I even had a disney/vacation anxiety dream that night. They always involve not being able to get everyone somewhere. I'm crazy.

Now to move on to Halloween costumes for on the cruise. Dd7 wants to be one of the girls from the Disney Zombies movie. And I am attempting to make a disbound type Mary Poppins and Bert set for me and DH.

Kobe looks fun! And the food pics looked sooooo good. You keep trying restaurants and I keep adding to my Orlando "try" list.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

 

[afan]

mmmm...squeaky cheese. So good. Yes I've brought it home on the plane when I've been in WI visiting dad's side of the fam. Mom's brought it home from Tillamook too, they have the best cheddar, sorry WI but OR does this one thing right

In SF for the weekend. Went to the Walt Disney Family Museum today and was a bit disappointed in the size for the cost ($25). It had some cool stuff to see and I'm glad I went, however if you know Walt's history and how he started, moved, the Alice movies on up through Disneyland you don't really need to read any of the stuff. And when his story is the main focus of the museum when you know it, it all goes by quick. I had heard the special exhibit on the nine old men wasn't that good so I didn't pay the extra $5 and skipped it. I kind of wish I had gone since I might have spent more time there but at the same time I was worried it would be a waste.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thursday, May 10th: a “sweet” conclusion

The little town of Celebration is super close to where Kobe’s is located in Kissimmee, so the drive there didn’t take long at all. As we drove through the tree-lined street of traditional houses with their long front porches and white picket fences, we could easily see the Disney charm oozing from this idyllic community.

Attempting to park the rental vehicle, however……that was another story .

Once we arrived in the downtown area, we ended up driving up and down the streets in search of a single empty parking space and wondered if we’d end up having to walk a mile by the time we were successful. Having no knowledge of the area didn’t help. We had long since lost track of where @chiamarie had turned off, so we just assumed that eventually we’d meet at our target location….or she would be texting us to ask where the heck we ended up .

Eventually, we found a space on a far-flung side street and began our walking trek back to the downtown core …..not such a bad thing, of course, after such a massive dinner meal and before our fattening night cap. The walk actually allowed us to check out a lot of the little Celebration eateries and bars, all of which were full to bursting both inside and out: virtually every establishment seemed to have an open-air dining area to take full advantage of the pleasant Florida climate, and by the number of people jammed around the tables, the locals were loving it. A “sleepy” little community this was certainly not.

By the time we turned the corner and headed up toward Wonderland Cookie Dough, T was already waiting for us.

Despite living in the area, she hadn’t yet had the opportunity to check out this particular sweet spot (it had been open just 9 months at this point, so it was still a fairly new face in downtown Celebration: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...disney/os-et-cookie-dough-20170727-story.html) so it was fun to enjoy an experience together that was new for ALL of us.

Heading inside, I was actually surprised at how small and low-key it was….from the articles we had read up to this visit, I expected the décor to be more over-the-top. It did have a slight Alice In Wonderland type of feel, but nothing really in-your-face. And while the rest of Celebration was buzzing with activity, Wonderland Cookie Dough was virtually empty on our visit.

We took some time to read through their menu. It all looked and sounded super yummy.....as a cookie dough fanatic, I would have ideally wanted one taste of every flavor if that was an option . All of a sudden, I was wishing I hadn’t been such a glutton at dinner…..I would have loved to have tried the Cookie Dough Nachos or something really fun and funky, but there was no way my stomach could take such a large, rich treat at this point in the day .

We peered into the display cases and pondered what to order. While others have indicated that they were offered complimentary samples to help make their choices, neither of the individuals working behind the counter extended that same courtesy to us. I suppose we could have asked, but I figured we could make some pleasing selections even without the benefit of samples. It’s one of those foods that unless it was oatmeal raisin cookie dough (gag!! ), we really couldn’t go wrong.

I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a cookie dough purist: while many of the flavors sounded absolutely mouthwatering, in the end I stuck to what I knew best and tried the regular chocolate chip cookie dough. For a first visit, I thought it was best to keep it simple.

Had I chosen something different, I’m sure Steve would have picked the chocolate chip cookie dough as well. But since that was my selection, he opted to order a different flavor: after much deliberation, he selected cookies and cream.

@chiamarie opted for the Flight Sampler Pack (3 flavors of your choice), but for some reason I completely missed capturing a picture and can’t recall which tastes she settled on. I did think that the flight sampler was a wonderful option for someone who really couldn’t choose just one flavor.

Our thoughts on the cookie dough itself: very yummy (you really couldn’t tell there were no eggs in it…..it tasted just like it was whipped up in your momma’s kitchen and scraped out of the bowl) but it was INCREDIBLY rich. So rich, in fact, that we ended up stopping at Starbucks on our way back to the car to get a bottle of milk to help wash it down. While the portions look small, I can’t imagine eating more than a small serving at a time….and that’s coming from someone who freely admits to possessing a huge sweet tooth. I was definitely more enamored with mine than Steve was with his: a good portion of Steve’s made it back to the villa and sat in the fridge until we pitched it in the trash as we prepared for check-out on Saturday morning. It was just too thick and rich for his liking……but I think part of the issue was the flavor he chose. He preferred my chocolate chip to his cookies and cream. The cookies and cream was MUCH sweeter.

We chatted as we enjoyed our dessert and meandered a bit outside (it was SUCH a gorgeous Florida evening!!), but eventually we bid T a good night and began our trek back to where we parked the car [stopping en route for the aforementioned bottle of milk].

Back at the resort, we had a quick soak in the hot tub before heading to bed .
Tomorrow was our final full day in Orlando, and we had saved some of the best for last: Discovery Cove!

Our day in Orlando’s tropical paradise is next.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Yes, similar concept. I've never eaten at Benihana. You should give it a try#

We just might!! We also have a restaurant here called Genji, which I think is also a similar dining experience. I would love to know how each of them compares to Kobe's.

My family loves Japanese Steakhouses. My wife's BDay is Aug 2, and we went to the local one that we prefer here in Savannah. Food was great as usual. The only snafu was I had gotten my wife her favorite cake for her birthday, and the waitress had taken it back to the kitchen until the end of our meal. Well when it was time to bring it out, she disappeared for a LONG time. When she came back, it was obvious she has been crying, and I knew. She had dropped the cake. When she tried to explain what happened she burst into tears again and had to excuse herself. Finally another waitress and the manager came over to explain, and took us to the kitchen to show the mess. My wife and I felt so bad for her, of course we knew it was an accident, and were touched she was so concerned for our experience. We made sure to let her know we understood it was an unfortunate accident, and we probably were better off NOT eating cake after that meal. Of course the management is GREAT there, and they MORE than made up for the loss of the cake, cupcakes for all (so much for not eating cake), the ENTIRE STAFF sang her happy birthday, and 50% off our bill.

Aw, what a terrible thing to happen on your wife's special occasion . I felt horrible for you, your wife, and that poor server who dropped the cake. You are so wonderful for being so gracious about the accident (I can imagine many other patrons, facing the same situation, would have lost their minds), and the restaurant sounds like they did everything they could to remedy an otherwise unfortunate situation. I bet you will both remember that birthday for many, MANY years to come!!

I will have to remember Kobe's when we go down next year! We love hibachi style food. Charlie took Liv to one on Monday for a date. It is one of her favorites and close by! I think the hats are adorable and that is a nice pic, what a nice memory

I have heard about HHN and I don't think Liv and I could attend at night! I really like the no boo necklaces it is so nice to walk around and know I won't get scared!

If you decide to try Kobe's, definitely go hungry!! SO MUCH FOOD!!

Kobe looks wonderful, Gina!

That spider bite is nasty!! I hate spiders!!

@AntimonyER - That's too bad about your wife's birthday cake- but so nice that they made up for the accident and made your wife's birthday celebration special!

The list of must do restaurants always grows when I read your TR's!

And we still have SO many yet to try. I am beginning to think we will NEVER make it to 4 Rivers Barbecue .

I need more trips .

Kobe looks fun and delicious! Now you have 2 days to get the cookie dough post up before I leave on vacation.

I am so sorry to not have posted that entry before you left, but hopefully you'll enjoy reading about it when you are on your way home. I am loving your Facebook posts!! Y'all look like you're having a marvelous time!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Yes- there was soup and salad. I still can't believe that I think I've found someone that's a more picky eater than me!

And you (or perhaps at least Steve) won't be disappointed by Rocco's.

I am here to make the rest of the world feel better about themselves . It's like my own little public service .

Steve was scrolling through the Yelp reviews and photos about Rocco's and found the pictures of the TV's in the rest rooms. He's totally up for a visit there, now .

If you want to feel like a non picky eater have a meal with Duncan. All he eats is spaghetti and nuggets with an occasional yogurt and applesauce.

He has me beat on the yogurt. I can't touch the stuff. My dad always told us "If God meant us to eat sour milk, he would have soured it in the cow" .

I bet you will find that his palate matures quite a bit as he grows. I am amazed at some of the stuff Jake eats now that he wouldn't have touched as a kid, even if threatened with death.

I love Kobe's! I go all the time (there is soup, then salad, then the main course- noodles, rice, veggies, meat). And now I am craving Kobe's, dang it!

Also...I always use a to-go box (most of the time on purpose so I can have more the next day)

Kobe's left-overs make a crazy good lunch the day after!!

The daughter and I visited the Poutine Restaurant when we visited Orlando. It was just after it had opened. We were very disappointed with our meal. I will say I have to agree with you...the key is cheese curds. When our server asked us how we liked it...she was surprised when we told her how disappointed we were and that as Canadians...that wasn't poutine by Canadian Standards Oh well, you live and learn.
We also loved the Coke roof top restaurant as well. We really enjoyed it. We hit Disney Springs on a low crowd day and it was fantastic. We had fantastic weather...and it was just after the US thanksgiving before Xmas so the christmas decorations were so beautiful.

Love reading your trip report so far!!!! The hotel looks like an amazing place. I will have to put a reminder to put that as a place for a maybe one day

My next must-try at Disney Springs is a cupcake from Sprinkles. Have you been there yet as well?

I do think Canadians have a whole different set of poutine standards from the rest of the world. And if you ask Steve, we have different beer standards, too . We are a fussy bunch in the True North Strong & Free . But its part of our charm, right?

Definitely give the Vistana a try if you can get a good rate for your dates. My photos honestly don't do the resort justice. It's such a wonderful place!!

I'm randomly reading other comments....

Cheese Curds definitely exist here in the states. And that is one food that I wont come anywhere close to touching, let alone eat!

What???? This doesn't look good to you?

You are missing out, big time. Esp fried. Mmmmmm good.

Yes.....especially when they are from CULVER'S!!!!!!

Yes, being born and raised in WI I can attest to that! AND they're GROOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheese should NOT squeak!

Also, Gina, I leave in 4 hours. Need to read your Wunderland review! LOL

Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to give you something to look forward to after your trip?

^This is how you get kicked out of WI. That and wearing a Brett Favre Vikings jersey.

Is that football? If so, I'm about to get very confused by this conversation .

Trust me. Minnesotans will not be caught in a Favre Vikings jersey either. Definitely a top 3 worst MN sports move ever (along with Herschel Walker and Dallas Stars)

I feel like I should be googling who this guy is, and why people hate him so much!!

Hello!

As you can see, I'm a few pages behind. Just back from a couple of weeks camping and catching up slowly. Wanted you to know that I am still around.

Have a question about the Nike Outlet (the real one, not the big box one). Have you ever seen "real" track cleat shoes on the shelves? I haven't been to this store but know that cleats are never carried at the big outlet mall stores. Hoping maybe the real outlet gets some. DS is in varsity track and made it to provincials this year. He (with a little help) buys a couple of pairs of these shoes each year - these things are heart stoppingly expensive, stupendously lightweight, rice paper thin, and wear out as if made of rice paper. Kind of wondering if it might be worth a stop in next trip to check for stock.

Meh. We tried it in March. Some interesting combos, but when you live so close to the "original" location, these imitations pale a bit in comparison. IMO it's the fresh curds and the from scratch old French Canadian Grand-mere's gravy recipe that has been simmering for hours that makes the meal. Still an enjoyable endulgence, but not like home.

Now that surprises me! Mickey's Pantry always seems to have some interesting stuff not found elsewhere at Disney. It's been a stop for us every trip!

This past trip we got into their spice section. I've been looking for a few years for a replacement for my favorite steak rub that has become near impossible to get here. We tried a couple of options, but none compared. I asked the CM if she had anything hotter. She offered me a sample of their Scorpion Pepper Salt rub. She actually made me hand all of my parcels to her, and was going to make me sit down before sampling. I guess maybe they have had some incidents I managed to convince her that I could handle it. It was pretty good, but not really as hot as it sounds. I bought a couple of packages and have been enjoying them all summer on grilled steaks.

Welcome back, my friend!! I missed you while you were gone! Happy to know you were just on vacation and not driven away by my erratic posts . Couldn't blame you if it was the latter. Hope you had a wonderful getaway.

I had to ask Steve about the track cleats (they aren't something I would have noticed, but he and Jake spend a lot of time in the shoe section) and he says YES, he has seen the real track cleats there. I will say, though, that the Clearance Store has gone downhill quite a bit from when we first discovered it in 2012.....we don't find the prices or selection to be quite as impressive anymore. But for a specialty item like that (which costs crazy amounts in Canada), it would definitely be worth the time to stop and see what they have in stock while you're there. Especially when its such an easy drive from SVR.

Steve says thanks for the tip on the spices . You had him at "steak". We'll now be making a trip back to Mickey's Pantry in October, I can assure you!!

but that's how you tell a real curd from the wanna be's!

Who knew Gina could set of a cheese curd controversy

What can I say? I'm a troublemaker at heart .