Has anyWine seen my Poutine? A friendly January 2020 dining report * The Plaza Part 2 4/24**

[ariane37]

Things mess be insane for you right now between your trip, your family and your customers. And now there is talk of cancelling the Disney cruises for 30 days.

Ugh so crazy took a mental health day today - until 5 when I couldn't stop thinking of phone calls I still had to make and got back on the phone with DCL..........................

I've always wanted to do a tour, DH is concerned that too much behind the scenes will ruin the magic (i.e. Keys to the Kingdom). Do you think this tour would?

I don't think the tours really ruin much magic at all! Although there are a couple things on the Marceline tour I think he probably would feel do This one Destinations Discovered really doesn't! It's so much the history of how the pavilions came to be and why details are the way they are with just a bit of Disney pixie dust thrown in; it's probably one of the better ones to do to not give up any "magic"!

They have, that's exactly how I feel!

Hope you guys are good up there! Stay healthy!

Ooo lots of cheese

LOL yes! You'd just need fries

Ok there totally has to be more to this story. Spill the tea. Did you cloak yourselves in red table cloths? Make a napkin bonnet? Sell your wombs to the highest bidder?

we were seriously just channeling you and your tablecloth loving CG friend!

Love this and I'm usually not a fan of the dooney's. I only like tiny purses and unfortunately they never make them a good size for me

This one would probably work well for you, it's actually just a smidge small for me but it'll do.

Oh I so have to get this for Jason!!! He'd love it

You can get it at Jock's too! October

Never mind the green bits, dates and manchego cheese? Who are you even???

I'll do any kind of cheese but yeah I surprised myself with the dates! You're helping me grow up, be a big girl and try more things

Ok. I give up. Your dining report has clearly been hijacked my fruit and cheese eating aliens

.we did the Segway tour at EPCOT several years ago which was FABULOUS..

You've told me about that before and it sounds so cool, wish they still had it!

'm just waiting until they end up shutting down restaurants as they did in Ohio now

I went to brunch with some friends today and we were talking about this; seems imminent

I have known this awhile but I'm not quite sure where I learned it. But I always thought it was an interesting tidbit.

I may have heard it somewhere before? On the Undiscovered Future World tour they pointed out how you can see the Land pavilion in WS but nobody notices since it's painted "no show blue" or whatever they call it lol (also something they tell you on the tours). It blends in with the sky and is so drab nobody notices.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I think all of us do I really do need to call you and catch up, I'm sure you know what's going on with the current DCP kids

Timmy is so worried his May program will get canceled. I told him if this thing goes on THAT long that we're all in BIG trouble. LOL! Jen xo

And even standing in the sun the wind would be at our backs lol!

IT was freezing!!!

 

[ariane37]

Timmy is so worried his May program will get canceled. I told him if this thing goes on THAT long that we're all in BIG trouble. LOL! Jen xo

This was the one thing we didn't talk about on the phone today, I really hope Timmy gets to go again. Especially since was looking forward to trying to find him and saying hello on our July trip! My heart hurts for all those kids whose DCP time was cut short and I just really hope - for all of us -that nothing interferes with the next group.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

This was the one thing we didn't talk about on the phone today, I really hope Timmy gets to go again. Especially since was looking forward to trying to find him and saying hello on our July trip! My heart hurts for all those kids whose DCP time was cut short and I just really hope - for all of us -that nothing interferes with the next group.

You and me both kid!!!! He got notification over the weekend to select housing choices, so hopefully, that's a good sign...

 

[missjackiemcg]

It is absolute madness, and I can't even imagine how you must feel with all the travel issues you're helping people to sort through. I'm feeling more and more like we will end up having to cancel our April trip, but of course am waiting til the last minute to actually pull the plug.

This tour sounds like something I would really enjoy! I know @MeghanEmily posted about her Future World tour and I thought the same! I definitely need to check into these Epcot tours on a future trip, .....and my damn Backstage Magic tour, which I will likely be canceling for the THIRD time!! ugh!!!

Stay healthy, friend!!!

 

[evilstep]

We learned about the ToT/ Morocco color story from a somewhat inebriated young lady who stopped us as we were walking around WS during the Food and Wine Festival. She was very excited to share her knowledge with us; we thanked her for the info--and have never forgotten it for many reasons!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

OMG things have gone nuts! Does everyone else feel like the world is upside down?

Yes! I don't consider myself a generally anxious person but I am right now. It seems more and more impossible every day to maintain any sense of normalcy.

And eventually our approx 5 hour tour got started! Basically on the tour you go from pavilion to pavillion, seeing some behind the scenes areas and learning what lots of the details mean.

This tour sounds so cool. I wanna do this one and Behind the Seeds soon.

Fun fact, there was a wedding going on (or just ending) when we got past Germany and Cinderella's carriage was there However we were not allowed to photograph it as it was basically "out of place" and not in keeping with the WS theme.

That's cool to see. Interesting about not being able to take pictures though.

A snack right up my alley lol

 

[ariane37]

Well I'm back again soon as I need a serious break from work If you know what I do you know it's been rough with no end in sight; I do hope you all are feeling ok during this, its definitely a trying time on our emotions and mental health. Our 4/6 Disney cruise was officially cancelled and we made a reservation for WDW in it's place, but with a 4/5 check in that was up in the air as well. Then today they officially cancelled the kids spring break, so even if the parks do open we can't go. Unless the parks open but the schools extend their closing, an April Disney trip is off the table for us. To top if off our MB's arrived today in what was probably the quickest turnaround time ever! So that wasn't a fun moment at the mailbox. Still, I realize we all need to focus on the future, down the line when all is back to normal again

We had finished up our tour, gotten our Bloody Mary from somewhere, and it was finally time to warm up inside at our lunch destination Tokyo Dining. Steve and I ate dinner here a few years ago "by accident' if you will, making a very last minute ADR and loving it. I don't remember if Jenny and Joe had been before but I think not? Anyway we were seated almost right away and had a nice view of the WS walkway and WS Lagoon


I mentioned that we were absolutely freezing outside which led Jenny to get tea. I took a picture because I thought the presentation was nice:



I on the other hand had plum wine on the brain and went with this

Golden Grape
Plum Wine, stirred with Apple Juice, topped with a Cloud of Pinot Noir


Only thing is I don't think this was exactly it; I think it was just plum wine and Pinot! And it was good and warmed me up fine No idea what Steve had to drink but I believe it was of the adult beverage variety also.

For an app Steve got something we always hear rave reviews of here, some sushi. He doesn't do much of it but he likes a good California Roll:

California Roll
Krab Meat, Avocado, Cucumber, Smelt Roe, and Mayonnaise



I went simple and got the Miso Soup:

Vegetable Miso Soup
with Tofu, Carrot, Daikon, Shimeji Mushroom, Green Onion



I don't know what to say other than it was good; it was Miso Soup and a better one than I've had at other restaurants. But still your basic standard Miso Soup which I just happen to have a taste for. Speaking of taste as you see it was filled with veggies. Now veggies aren't my thing despite the salad that started off this report and the follow up fruit earlier this day; however I still considered this soup a warm win on a freezing Florida day.


Here's a little fun fact. Our server, whose name I can't remember, was a fairly young girl. The table next to us was a fairly old guy. And by old I mean, he looked to be at least 70. Could have been late 60's but regardless he had to have at least 30 years on our server. He also had a wrapped gift on the table and at one point, a manager type person came over and he offered her the gift which she took. We, because we were nosy, assumed she took it because CM's aren't allowed to accept gifts from guests. We also assumed he was a creepy old guy hitting on our cute server. Remember this.

Back to food! For my entree I went healthy again.
FOOLED YOU! I know I'm going to lose my serious DIS followers if I continue that trend so what I did was get FRIED healthy:

Assorted Vegetable Tempura
Lightly Fried Seasonal Vegetables



Here we had onion rings which were unarguably the best; Tofu which was unarguably the worst Sweet Potatoes which were really good and asparagus which I passed off to Steve and I think Jenny may have had some. The dipping salts were awesome! One was green tea which was ok; I don't like green tea but I liked the salt better than I thought. My favorite was the Wasabi salt! The 3rd one I can't remember except that I didn't like it much and it had a weird taste.

Steve kept up his shrimp fest:
Shrimp and Crab Tempura
Lightly Fried Seafood and Vegetables with flavored Sea Salts





He also had the asparagus and I believe sweet potatoes and loved his dish. I rarely get tempura and this coating was nice and light as I imagine it's supposed to be so it wasn't super filling. Oh and see those orangy stick things under the food? OMG they were GOOD! Again can't remember the name and too lazy to look it up but according to your young server they are supposed to help absorb alcohol lol. They were also nice to snack on.

We enjoyed warming up and enjoyed our lunch! It's a nice quiet restaurant with great views if you get a seat by the window. If you go for dinner and are there during whatever the current night show is, you can go out on their deck and watch. We watched Illuminations from out there on our first visit and it's a great view.

Back to the old guy next to us. We all left and Steve stayed behind to talk to him - why, I don't know The three of us waited outside like 15 minutes and he finally came out to tell us the "poor guys" story.........apparently he and our server were dating However the managers didn't like her dating him, you know because of the slight 30-40 year age difference -and she wasn't supposed to talk to him in there. They also had apparently just been to an AH at MK like the night before or whatever? So he brought the present which was some type of bread as a peace offering. Oh they were SO much in love! If it weren't for the pesky management they could see so much more of each other. I asked Steve why he needed to talk to engage this guy who was obviously living in a fantasy world and was also probably stalking our poor server. But as many of you know it's a tough life being a hottie, and I guess our server will just have to learn to live with it. It did make for an interesting story!

Tired from our early morning and full from lunch, we were all ready to relax a bit. We also had big plans for the night! I believe Jenny and Joe headed right out while Steve and I made a quick stop at the festival booth in France for a little dessert:

Trio de Macarons: Assortment of Three House-made Macarons in a Gift Box



These were chocolate, raspberry and lemon and were delicious! I have to say not Toothsome Chocolate Emporium delicious but I'd definitely get them again.
The reason we didn't hitch a ride with Joe again was because Steve wanted to try the skyliner (I rode back in October on my work trip) and this was the perfect time to try it. We hopped on at the IG and got off at the Riviera to check it out quick as we hadn't been there yet. Just a couple pictures to fill up this post:

As you're walking in from the skyliner:



Then from the lobby there are a few doors to little seating areas that look out over the grounds:



I think the grounds are pretty for the most part; the pool is pretty basic. The lobby on the other hand seems VERY boring and basic and not impressive at all, but that's just my opinion. I have seen quite a few pictures of the rooms and they look super nice so I wouldn't necessarily not stay here, but I'm not in a rush. Actually during our trip Molly @Mollydolly334 stayed here and got a REALLY nice upgrade!
We took a Lyft back to WL and while our driver was OK he got lost on the way so we definitely didn't give me 5 stars as we'd been giving Joe so far lol. We took naps to recharge for a pretty late night which started with a return to another of our favorite lounges!

 

[ariane37]

It is absolute madness, and I can't even imagine how you must feel with all the travel issues you're helping people to sort through. I'm feeling more and more like we will end up having to cancel our April trip, but of course am waiting til the last minute to actually pull the plug.

It gets worse each day; in the last 2 hours there have been further restrictions on US travel to the DR and Jamaica for us to deal with If you end up needing to cancel or reschedule that means for sure we did so still holding out hope xoxo

This tour sounds like something I would really enjoy! I know @MeghanEmily posted about her Future World tour and I thought the same! I definitely need to check into these Epcot tours on a future trip, .....and my damn Backstage Magic tour, which I will likely be canceling for the THIRD time!! ugh!!!

OMG that's right!! It's like it's not meant to be but you'll get to do it some day if not next month!
I really really suggest doing an EPCOT tour. Like I said you don't see those details and behind the scenes fun facts circulating on the internet as often as the MK ones so I think you tend to learn more

Stay healthy, friend!!!

Same to you and your family out there!

We learned about the ToT/ Morocco color story from a somewhat inebriated young lady who stopped us as we were walking around WS during the Food and Wine Festival. She was very excited to share her knowledge with us; we thanked her for the info--and have never forgotten it for many reasons!

I wonder if she'd just taken the tour lol!

Yes! I don't consider myself a generally anxious person but I am right now. It seems more and more impossible every day to maintain any sense of normalcy.

Same here. I wasn't feeling nervous or stressed until just a few days ago when it started affecting Ricky - being home with the regular flu for almost a week and then having school closed isn't working well for him and knowing he's stressed stresses me! And with Disney being closed......as stupid as it sounds to some its so unbelievable to me. I feel like THAT'S what makes the world not seem right

This tour sounds so cool. I wanna do this one and Behind the Seeds soon.

I had Behind the Seeds booked for us when we were going last year for NYE. I don't know that the boys would like it unless it was during a super crowded time, so I thought what the heck it's something to do if it's crazy busy and we can't get additional FP's. We have Up Close with Rhinos for July but I'd still like to do Behind the Seeds probably just with Steve sometime

 

[buzzrelly]

Then today they officially cancelled the kids spring break, so even if the parks do open we can't go. Unless the parks open but the schools extend their closing, an April Disney trip is off the table for us.

We got an email that our Spring Break won't be cancelled, not that it matters much because I don't think schools will open until at least May anyway.

I am heartbroken for Ricky and all the high school seniors (Allie's boyfriend) whose final months of hs are pretty much going to suck. Allie's BF swim championships were cancelled and he had a shot at breaking a record which won't happen now. There's talk of Spring sports being cancelled, prom being postponed, etc. It all sucks for them

To top if off our MB's arrived today

Ouch.

Back to the old guy next to us. We all left and Steve stayed behind to talk to him - why, I don't know The three of us waited outside like 15 minutes and he finally came out to tell us the "poor guys" story.........apparently he and our server were dating However the managers didn't like her dating him, you know because of the slight 30-40 year age difference -and she wasn't supposed to talk to him in there. They also had apparently just been to an AH at MK like the night before or whatever? So he brought the present which was some type of bread as a peace offering. Oh they were SO much in love! If it weren't for the pesky management they could see so much more of each other.

Yuck. What a pig. What is wrong with that poor girl to even get involved with such a dirty old man? And good for the managers for stepping in for her, although it's really not their place. Someone clearly needs to look out for her. What a sad story.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Back to the old guy next to us. We all left and Steve stayed behind to talk to him - why, I don't know The three of us waited outside like 15 minutes and he finally came out to tell us the "poor guys" story.........apparently he and our server were dating However the managers didn't like her dating him, you know because of the slight 30-40 year age difference -and she wasn't supposed to talk to him in there.

OK, that is super creepy! I do find it funny that Steve felt compelled to talk to him and get the scoop though, LOL.

 

[Tracy161]

To top if off our MB's arrived today in what was probably the quickest turnaround time ever!

Oh, you're kidding me To add insult to injury, right?

FOOLED YOU! I know I'm going to lose my serious DIS followers if I continue that trend so what I did was get FRIED healthy

Thank goodness! The Ariane we all know and love has not deserted us after all

We took a Lyft back to WL and while our driver was OK he got lost on the way so we definitely didn't give me 5 stars as we'd been giving Joe so far lol.

So glad you had such a nice meal at Tokyo Dining - I really loved my experience there in August and am hopeful to get back soon

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Hi Ariane I’ve finally found my way to your report via Jenny mentioning the FF dinner you all had together in hers and Kari mentioning that you had more disboard demerits than her plus you like wine and “gravy chips” and dislike seafood so I reckon you’re my kind of girl and that there’s bound to be some craic in your eating and drinking adventures
Currently quarantined in my bed suffering from what is hopefully a common cold but who knowsAll the fun stuff is shut here anyway so I suppose it’s as good a place as any to be but it’s definitely a weird/slightly scary world we live in right now. Hoping you are holding up ok and not getting too swamped by work. So many here have already been asked to take unpaid leave/ voluntary redundancy as businesses try to survive so there’s jobs to return to when we beat this blimin virus. I’ve no doubt we will beat it but it’s going to be a tough time for the next few months. Stay safe

 

[missjackiemcg]

To top if off our MB's arrived today in what was probably the quickest turnaround time ever!

Same time I found out that the FL governor cancelled school through 4/15....my Magicbands shipped. UGH. I'm still going to pray for some miraculous news of WDW reopening before 4/12...

The dipping salts were awesome! One was green tea which was ok; I don't like green tea but I liked the salt better than I thought. My favorite was the Wasabi salt! The 3rd one I can't remember except that I didn't like it much and it had a weird taste.

Ooooh, I've never seen something like that before! Sounds tasty!

We all left and Steve stayed behind to talk to him - why, I don't know

Because he was channeling my father apparently! LOL Very interesting tale for sure!

 

[kittylady1972]

Hang in there with the reschedules...I'm afraid it will get worse before it gets better. Our Italy cruise in June is still ON For now...but I'm not so sure that's going to stick, especially now that the Canada ports closed.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I don't remember if Jenny and Joe had been before but I think not?

Yes, we had been there before but it had been a while...

Here's a little fun fact. Our server, whose name I can't remember, was a fairly young girl. The table next to us was a fairly old guy. And by old I mean, he looked to be at least 70. Could have been late 60's but regardless he had to have at least 30 years on our server. He also had a wrapped gift on the table and at one point, a manager type person came over and he offered her the gift which she took. We, because we were nosy, assumed she took it because CM's aren't allowed to accept gifts from guests. We also assumed he was a creepy old guy hitting on our cute server. Remember this.

This was so creepy in soooo many ways. LOL!

asparagus which I passed off to Steve and I think Jenny may have had some

Why, yes, yes you did and it was yummy.

. I rarely get tempura and this coating was nice and light as I imagine it's supposed to be so it wasn't super filling. Oh and see those orangy stick things under the food? OMG they were GOOD! Again can't remember the name and too lazy to look it up but according to your young server they are supposed to help absorb alcohol lol. They were also nice to snack on.

They were soooo good and I couldn't eat enough of them.

Back to the old guy next to us. We all left and Steve stayed behind to talk to him - why, I don't know The three of us waited outside like 15 minutes and he finally came out to tell us the "poor guys" story.........apparently he and our server were dating However the managers didn't like her dating him, you know because of the slight 30-40 year age difference -and she wasn't supposed to talk to him in there. They also had apparently just been to an AH at MK like the night before or whatever? So he brought the present which was some type of bread as a peace offering. Oh they were SO much in love! If it weren't for the pesky management they could see so much more of each other. I asked Steve why he needed to talk to engage this guy who was obviously living in a fantasy world and was also probably stalking our poor server. But as many of you know it's a tough life being a hottie, and I guess our server will just have to learn to live with it. It did make for an interesting story!

Hey, if Steve's not getting the scoop, he's getting us chairs at one of our fav lounges. LOL!!!!

I believe Jenny and Joe headed right out

Yes, and that's where we ran into Tim Tracker again and got pics!!!!! SPOILER ALERT!!!!

We took a Lyft back to WL and while our driver was OK he got lost on the way so we definitely didn't give me 5 stars as we'd been giving Joe so far lol.

No Uber driver will EVER be able to compete with Joe!!!! LOL! Remember, he did avoid hitting a deer...

 

[ariane37]

am heartbroken for Ricky and all the high school seniors (Allie's boyfriend) whose final months of hs are pretty much going to suck. Allie's BF swim championships were cancelled and he had a shot at breaking a record which won't happen now. There's talk of Spring sports being cancelled, prom being postponed, etc. It all sucks for them

I definitely feel for her boyfriend ❤ Ricky has some friends on the Varsity baseball team and they're missing out on their last season to play; luckily the ones that are "good" enough have already signed to their respective colleges but doesn't help the juniors. Ricky just wants to get back to school surprisingly and I just want them to be able to walk in June.

OK, that is super creepy! I do find it funny that Steve felt compelled to talk to him and get the scoop though, LOL.

LMAO because that's just Steve! He laughs if I stop and talk to other guests or make friends with anyone while we're on line but if he finds someone weird who doesn't mind talking - he talks

Oh, you're kidding me To add insult to injury, right?

Not only that but since we had a split stay we got another set today It's so sad that at this point I don't even know when we can use them.

So glad you had such a nice meal at Tokyo Dining - I really loved my experience there in August and am hopeful to get back soon

I was happy to go back! Think I'll try going again when the new night show is there because then we can watch from the deck

Hi Ariane I’ve finally found my way to your report via Jenny mentioning the FF dinner you all had together in hers and Kari mentioning that you had more disboard demerits than her

Well hello and I have of course seen you on both of their reports and around the 'boards in general; now I need to prove I'm demerit-worthy to you lol!

plus you like wine and “gravy chips” and dislike seafood so I reckon you’re my kind of girl

Aw I'm glad you're here and I hope you enjoy!

I’ve no doubt we will beat it but it’s going to be a tough time for the next few months. Stay safe

I know we will you stay well over there and stay around the boards too!

Same time I found out that the FL governor cancelled school through 4/15....my Magicbands shipped. UGH. I'm still going to pray for some miraculous news of WDW reopening before 4/12...

Yeah They also closed all NY schools through 4/1 and we were originally supposed to go back 3/30; but I believe Florida has more cases. We can all speculate but unfortunately won't know until Disney makes another announcement.

Ooooh, I've never seen something like that before! Sounds tasty!

It was a surprise to me too! I'd never seen any tempura presented with salts like that!

Because he was channeling my father apparently!

 

[ariane37]

Hang in there with the reschedules...I'm afraid it will get worse before it gets better.

I don't doubt it will unfortunately, the way things change almost hourly with travel. Waiting now on the next update from Disney too.......

This was so creepy in soooo many ways. LOL!

LOL leave it to my husband to get the scoop!

hey were soooo good and I couldn't eat enough of them.

I wish I could remember what they were called...................

Hey, if Steve's not getting the scoop, he's getting us chairs at one of our fav lounges. LOL!!!!

I guess we'll keep him around!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Yeah They also closed all NY schools through 4/1 and we were originally supposed to go back 3/30; but I believe Florida has more cases. We can all speculate but unfortunately won't know until Disney makes another announcement.

Not to scare anyone but our schools are expected to be closed for 16weeks. This takes us to the summer holidays so essentially kids missing 24 weeks of school! We are less than a week in and let me tell ya, the novelty has definitely worn off!

Just for laughs

 

[Tracy161]

Not only that but since we had a split stay we got another set today It's so sad that at this point I don't even know when we can use them.

How depressing

I was happy to go back! Think I'll try going again when the new night show is there because then we can watch from the deck

Yes! Great idea