I haven't been this excited about my birthday since I turned 21! COMPLETE

[disney meema]

Oh Bailey George is adorable ... Enjoy your new family member and will still be here waiting for your next review whenever your ready : )

 

[Linda67]

Bailey George is such a cutie Barb

On another note, I simply have to do breakfast at the GFC one of these days!

 

[Couchy]

I laughed when I heard the name. While I don't have a son named Andrew I do have a dog named Bailey and she is awesome. Your Bailey is very cute

 

[jabead]

Great Jiko review Barb
Glad I got to have a 'virtual drink' with you all to celebrate all the birthdays and anniversarys

Though you weren't there in body, Linda, we felt like you were there in spirit.

Barb the baby is due in 7 weeks! Can you believe I spent 6 days in WDW last week and had more stamina them by husband!

I'm sad that I apparently just missed meeting you there, Lori. But, oh my, you are very brave to tackle WDW being 8 months pregnant. I thought I was pacing myself pretty well during my week long trip, but I laid down for a nap on the afternoon that I returned home and woke up about 14 hours later. So bravo for your stamina...this quality will no doubt be put to good use starting in about 7 weeks!

Barb, thanks for posting the pic of the SAI kid menu! That looks so much better than the one posted on the disney website.

GFC is the only monorail restaurant I have never eaten at. Must change that!

Yes, you really should give the GFC a try!

I am a french toast enthusiast! The GFC will go down on my list for a future trip try

Oh, I love that term...a french toast enthusiast! I too am a french toast enthusiast, and I'm also pretty enthusiastic about pancakes, waffles, omelets...

Aw wow! Seeing your pictures of the Floriidan makes me feel at home : ) we've stayed there on 8 vacations and love love the hotel, the grand cafe, the garden lounge tea and on and on ((( love )) Our next trip staying at WL for the first time .... Venturing out of comfort zone, but keep second guessing myself. Must get over it lol
Onto the breakfast ... Love the French toast it's delicious and with your pictures I can almost taste it. What a beautiful setting for any meal : )

The Grand Floridian is a gorgeous resort and I love to visit it and dine at many of its great restaurants. However, it didn't feel very "homey" for me during my one stay there many years ago. But that is the great thing about Disney World...there is a resort theme to suit nearly everyone's taste, even when their taste changes. The Poly was once my favorite MK resort but it has now been replaced by the WL. So I hope that you too are rewarded for venturing out of your comfort zone and have a wonderful stay at the Wilderness Lodge.

What a great way to celebrate your birthday! Loving your dining report so far!

Thank you Daisy and thanks for reading!

"Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas." is the text message received alert on my phone, lol.

That is so awesome!

I wonder if we passed one another at MK on Tuesday - I had my eyes peeled but didn't see you. We arrived at opening, left in the early afternoon then returned when the heavens opened up later that evening. Can't beat going in to the MK when everyone is fleeing the MK! Can't wait to see where you went that (hot) day

Ahhh yes, I remember that Tuesday night torrential downpour quite well I'm afraid.

Love the GF and GF Cafe! I really want to try breakfast there one day, it looks so nice. I have had dinner there twice and it was great both times

I'm the opposite, as I've had breakfast there 4 times now but have never had either lunch or dinner. I really need to do that one of these days.

Subbing into the party fashionably late. Enjoying all the updates so far, but that French toast was just a tease as I sit here and eat a delicious bowl of Cheerios.

Hello and welcome to the party! And what a coincidence, I too was eating a bowl of Cheerios when I wrote that review.

joining in

Thanks for joining!

Adorable

Cute puppy and an amazingly cute name

That puppy is too cute!

Oh Bailey George is adorable ... Enjoy your new family member and will still be here waiting for your next review whenever your ready : )

Bailey George is such a cutie Barb

I laughed when I heard the name. While I don't have a son named Andrew I do have a dog named Bailey and she is awesome. Your Bailey is very cute

Beth - It seems we are all on the same wavelength when it comes to our love for Disney (especially Disney dining) and naming our babies...both the two and four legged ones.




Thanks everyone for indulging me during my "new puppy" break yesterday. I have one more Disney related puppy photo to share with you and then I'll get back to my food reviews. My son posted this on Instagram and Facebook yesterday ...



"Naaaaants ingonyaaaaa ama bagithi Baba!!!" #circleoflife #lionking

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Love the picture of your son Simbaing Bailey George!

Its A Wonderful Life is one of my favs too.

You're tempting me with that French toast from GFC. Looks so delicious.

 

[jabead]

Following my breakfast at the Grand Floridian Cafe, I headed to Magic Kingdom to use my FP+ for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad...





Haunted Mansion...





and Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid.




Then I had some time to kill before my lunch ADR so checked out the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride. There were several castmembers in full costume standing around the entrance and a small informal line of people milling about who said they had been there since park opening, in the hopes of riding the Mine Train. So I decided to have a seat in the area to see what might develop...which sadly, nothing did during the hour that I hung around.


But the good news is that though this hour long wait "beared no fruit", it was followed by a nice lunch at the...




So let's begin by taking a look at the menu...







I started by ordering a glass of Iced Tea...




This tasted more like instant than fresh brewed tea, but nevertheless it did the job of quenching my thirst.



I already knew that I had to have the french fries, so I just had to decide which of their 8 sandwiches I wanted to order. I went with one of the simple, most basic ones...



Angus Chuck Cheeseburger on a flour-dusted Kaiser roll, served with the famous Plaza french fries.


I chose cheddar cheese and bacon for my toppings. The other choices were American cheese, grilled mushrooms, and grilled onions. The other available sides were broccoli slaw or homemade chips, but I of course went with the fries. While neither the burger or the fries were earth moving for me, they were good and I probably would have finished them both if I wasn't saving room for dessert.


Here's a photo of their short, but sweet list of desserts...




The couple sitting at the (very close) table next to me ordered the Banana Split. It looked so delicious...sinfully delicious, as I was definitely coveting my neighbor's ice cream. But the Banana Split was huge and I knew that it was out of my league as a solo diner. So I settled for something a little smaller...



The Plaza Restaurant Sundae - Ice Cream of your choice (vanilla for me) with choice of Hot Fudge (yes please ), Strawberry Sauce, Crushed Pineapple, Chopped Nuts, Whipped Cream and a Cherry.


After my first bite of this, I realized that I hadn't really had to settle for anything less than delicious. Although it wasn't quite in the same league as the No Way Jose at Beaches & Cream...






...or Ghirardelli's Sea Salt Caramel Caramel Sundae, which I had for the first time on my last trip in December...





...The Plaza Sundae was still delicious and quite nicely satisfied my sweet tooth.


I hadn't been to the Plaza Restaurant since 2006, but this visit has convinced me that it is a solid choice for a full-service meal at Magic Kingdom. Though Liberty Tree Tavern is still my #1 Magic Kingdom lunch choice, I'm sure the Plaza will be making appearances in most of my future trips to Disney World.​

Next up: Dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse

 

[farrahalex76]

I just made an ADR for the Plaza last night. My DH made himself a reuben last night and was quit pleased with himself so I figured he would enjoy the Plaza. Him and the kids will have to get some ice cream concoction to share. I'm lactose intolerant so I'll have to find dessert somewhere else. That hamburger looks really good even though it didn't blow you away. I might have to give that a try.

 

[smile4stamps]

Wow Barb! You've really been knocking out those reviews!!

I thought the Iced Tea at the Plaza was very good and I won't drink Nestea.. It may have been the Gold Peak which I like.

The fries for us there were delicious! So hot they burned my mouth though!

I'm getting ready to start my review but am trying to decide on a Trip Report or a Dining Report!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Wow Barb! You've really been knocking out those reviews!!

I thought the Iced Tea at the Plaza was very good and I won't drink Nestea.. It may have been the Gold Peak which I like.

The fries for us there were delicious! So hot they burned my mouth though!

I'm getting ready to start my review but am trying to decide on a Trip Report or a Dining Report!

How about a trip report with lots of dining details?!

I have just about decided to add The Plaza to our September trip. In all of my times there, I have never had there ice cream! I may have to rectify that!

 

[Avery&Todd]

Im here and I realize Im SO late to this thread!!!

I've lurked and stalked you on the LIVE dining thread you kept going and I truly LOVED that thread more than I can even say....

and I then read your Not-live-anymore thread and now Im here and out of the lurking closet for this one!

and our plan is to head back to WDW next June and since I'm such the over planner, I'm already thinking of places to eat! We've eaten at the Plaza many times and I was going to skip it this time and go to BOG and LTT, but WOW - that dessert looks heavenly!! but..is it better than the ooey-gooey toffee dessert at LTT??

decisions!

Thanks for the fabulous dining reviews!!

 

[Linda67]

I love the Plaza!
The fries there are just the best!

 

[jabead]

Love the picture of your son Simbaing Bailey George!

Its A Wonderful Life is one of my favs too.

You're tempting me with that French toast from GFC. Looks so delicious.

Thanks Rachel! And don't forget that the Grand Floridian is only a very short bus ride away from the Wilderness Lodge. I think it's the next stop for both the DTD bus and the AK bus, but ask the bus driver before boarding just to make sure they haven't changed up the routes. So anyway this makes dining at any of the GF restaurants very convenient.

I just made an ADR for the Plaza last night. My DH made himself a reuben last night and was quit pleased with himself so I figured he would enjoy the Plaza. Him and the kids will have to get some ice cream concoction to share. I'm lactose intolerant so I'll have to find dessert somewhere else. That hamburger looks really good even though it didn't blow you away. I might have to give that a try.

I'm pretty sure that the Plaza serves tofutti, just in case that's of interest to you.

Wow Barb! You've really been knocking out those reviews!!

I thought the Iced Tea at the Plaza was very good and I won't drink Nestea.. It may have been the Gold Peak which I like.

The fries for us there were delicious! So hot they burned my mouth though!

I'm getting ready to start my review but am trying to decide on a Trip Report or a Dining Report!

Hi Paula and welcome back! I bet you are right about the ice tea, as I don't care for either Nestea or Gold Peak. Actually I pretty much only like fresh brewed and Snapple peach tea. You and Hunter got me started on an iced tea kick this trip beginning my first night at California Grill. I ordered it many times after this and the only one that I recall not liking very much was at the Plaza.

I'd already forgotten about your mouth burning incident at the Plaza. Ouch! I did enjoy the fries, but I think my expectations were set way too high after all the rave reviews on the live thread. I was expecting the earth to move or angels to sing...something along those lines.

If you decide to do a Trip Report rather than a Dining Report, please let me know when you start. I rarely venture away from the Dining Reviews section of the boards so I'd appreciate the heads up. Feel free to post a link here.

I have just about decided to add The Plaza to our September trip. In all of my times there, I have never had there ice cream! I may have to rectify that!

I say, go for it, Vicki!

Im here and I realize Im SO late to this thread!!!

I've lurked and stalked you on the LIVE dining thread you kept going and I truly LOVED that thread more than I can even say....

and I then read your Not-live-anymore thread and now Im here and out of the lurking closet for this one!

and our plan is to head back to WDW next June and since I'm such the over planner, I'm already thinking of places to eat! We've eaten at the Plaza many times and I was going to skip it this time and go to BOG and LTT, but WOW - that dessert looks heavenly!! but..is it better than the ooey-gooey toffee dessert at LTT??

decisions!

Thanks for the fabulous dining reviews!!

Thank you so much for continuing to follow along on all my threads. DeeDee will soon be taking a WDW trip and might be doing a dining report on the "No Longer Live" thread once she gets back. So that thread might become active again soon.

As for this thread, you are not that late at all because I'm only about 1/4 of the way done with my reviews. So thanks for joining in!


In answer to your Ooey-Gooey Toffee dessert question, for now I will just say that this will be making an appearance in my report very, very soon.

 

[1stTimeDisneyer]

Hi Barb. I wanted to let you know I have really enjoyed your reviews. I have come to the conclusion I am truly a Disney junkie as I was reading reviews while waiting in lines at my happy place.

I also wanted to let you know that Flying Fish changed their menu once again and that the pork is now lamb. My husband and I split the steak and truffle Mac and cheese which both were amazing. The adult milkshake was also out of this world along with the onion bread. That being said I want to thank you again for all you have done with reviews. If it wasn't for you we would never had tried FF. We already have reservations for our trip in Nov. it was that amazing.

 

[jabead]

One more review and then I must take a break from the DIS boards for the weekend. My son will be graduating from high school tomorrow and his graduation party is on Sunday afternoon, so I'm going to be very busy for the next few days.

My plans for Tuesday evening were to begin by meeting up with Paula and Hunter at the Wilderness Lodge bus stop to catch a bus to the Yacht Club (with a transfer at Magic Kingdom). As we were standing there waiting for the MK bus that seemed to never come, it began to rain...a light rain. The bus finally came and we boarded, but the light rain continued...inside the bus. It seems the bus had sprung a leak right above Paula and me so we continued to get dripped on during the ride to Magic Kingdom. But that was just the beginning of the fully-clothed shower that the three of us experienced that evening. Unfortunately when we got to Magic Kingdom we were caught in a torrential downpour while transferring from our bus to the Yacht Club bus, which of course were not anywhere near each other. I had an umbrella which was immediately twisted like a pretzel by the first gust of wind, but at least I was able to keep my head from getting completely soaked. Paula was not so lucky and looked like she had just stepped out of the shower. But she was a great trooper and forged ahead to our destination, the Yacht Club.





Here we met up with Brenda and Michael in the lobby and together proceeded down the hallway to have dinner at the Yacht Club's signature restaurant...




...stopping first in the bathroom to try and wring out some of the water from my dripping pants.


Now I'm sure that having dinner with a wet bottom put a "damper" on this meal for me but there were other things that caused this visit to the Yachtsman Steakhouse to be very disappointing. But before getting into these "lowlights", let me first show you a couple of my meal highlights...





For my beverage, I ordered Iced Tea, which at YSH comes with a tray of sweetener packets, lemon wedges, and a small pitcher of simple syrup. I love to use the syrup to sweeten my tea.



And then there are the awesome Yachtsman rolls...





They changed up the way that the garlic is served though, as is shown in this blurry photo...




I like the rolls with or without the garlic, so I probably would have not bothered with the garlic cloves. However, Hunter promptly took care of it for us and removed the tasty garlic from the cloves.


Anyway, it's always a challenge not to fill up on these because they are so delicious. I'd like to say that I rose to the challenge and had only this one...




...but I'm thinking that I probably had at least two.


Now let's have a look at the menu, starting with the Appetizers...




I didn't see anything here that I had to have, so didn't order an appetizer. However, Paula and Hunter ordered the Charcuterie board and kindly shared it with the rest of us...









As I've said previously, this really isn't my thing so I think I only tasted a slice of pepperoni, which was fine.


On now to the Entrees...






I have always ordered the same entree at YSH, and tonight was no exception...



8 oz. Black Angus Filet Mignon with Cabernet Wine Sauce and Mashed Potatoes


A closer view...




I have had success here in the past with ordering this cooked medium well and having it served with a slightly pink center. However, this time that wasn't the case. There was not even the slightest hint of pink left, so I would say that this steak was "well" past medium well. Though the steak was a "fail" for me, the mashed potatoes were as great as ever...so buttery and delicious!



I don't seem to have a photo of the Dessert menu, but again may not have even seen one since we were each presented with this complimentary dessert for our birthdays and anniversary...




I liked two of these and the others were tasted and left on the plate.


Like our December visit to YSH (when we had a large group of 10), our server again seemed somewhat disorganized and very slow. By the time we finally received our checks the restaurant was pretty much empty...




Our ADR was for 7:30 and the time on my check is 10:10. That seemed like a long time given that we did not order that much food. But on the positive side, at least my bottom was pretty much dry by the time we finally left the restaurant.


So in conclusion, Yachtsman was once my second favorite signature restaurant. After two disappointing visits now, it has fallen way down on my list of favorites. Out of respect for the five previous great dinners that I had there, I will probably give YSH one more try during my next trip in October. If it fails to deliver for a third time in row though, then I'll be taking a break from Yachtsman for awhile. ​

Next up: Breakfast at Kona Cafe

 

[jordansmama]

Congratulations on your son's graduation!

Bailey is adorable (love the name- I had an Irish Setter named Bailey (for the liquor not the movie)

Great recaps- Sorry your trip to YSH was disappointing!

 

[Avery&Todd]

Great review of the Y! I'm sorry it wasnt the best dinner!

I'm a little torn on going back there next time too - we haven't been to Le Cellier since our first trip in 2009 and I have heard that the mushroom risotto was replaced with a pea one, and just doesn't sound tasty..at all...

So, if we don't do Y or Le Cellier, what would a 3rd option be for a good steak??

We'll already be doing Flying Fish (but not for steak...)

thoughts...suggestions??

HAVE A FABULOUS GRADUATION PARTY!! My oldest had 3 more years and then we'll be throwing him a HS grad party too - I'm sure those years will fly by!!

 

[disney meema]

Too bad yachtsman wasn't at its best, yep that's one over cooked steak. Hoping it is fabulous for you come October. Congratulations on your sons high school graduation and have a fabulous weekend : )

 

[smile4stamps]

Oh Barb... you spin things so much better than I do!! This meal stunk! And no.. I don't think the being soaked influenced that opinion at all. Yachtsman is forever out of our dining line-up. I'm still thinking about writing to Disney on that one!

 

[livinlife25]

I love Yachtsman's sweet tea and rolls! Sorry service was so disappointing and the bus leaking. We were stuck at T-Rex for 2 hours that night just trying to wait out the downpour.

 

[jenjersnap]

I am so sorry to hear about your experience at YSH. We haven't eaten there in a few trips because of an unmagical meal there but my DS begged me to make an ADR there this trip so thought we would give it a whirl. (sorry to mention him again but this next trip revolves around his wishes...anyway, we stayed at YC last trip and his eyes would roll back into his head as we walked so many times past the delicious smells emanating from YSH. When we got home, he searched for pics, the porterhouse and truffle mac and cheese sealed the deal for him. He has informed me he is willing to share with me. )