Is 7 Days Enough to Make a First Timer Fall in Love??--Aug'11 TR-- FINAL UPDATE 8/26

[okw19]

Love all the GF pics! I can't believe your BF slept on the couch. I guess I would too if I were exhausted.

 

[Leshaface]

I DIED at the picture of DBF watching cartoons and the pic of him passed out! I wonder what the lady sitting near him was thinking?

 

[heathsf]

I DIED at the picture of DBF watching cartoons and the pic of him passed out! I wonder what the lady sitting near him was thinking?

She was probably hoping he would get up so she could take her own nap!

Love all the GF pics! I can't believe your BF slept on the couch. I guess I would too if I were exhausted.

He was SO tired! I tried to warn him before the trip how exhausting it would be but he didn't believe me. I guess it was really hitting him 5 days in...

It's amazing how spotless everything is at the GF! WEll, really all of WDW is like that I suppose. You can really tell in your photos just how clean they keep things!

Is that an older lady hanging down there by your BF? She was probably dying for him to get up so she could sack out on the couch. Cant wait to hear the next segment!

GF was just impeccable. I'm not sure that I would want to stay there (for the price) but it was fun to visit!

 

[heathsf]

Wednesday, August 24 - Part 7

By the time our bus arrived at DTD it was absolutely pouring. We put our ponchos on before getting off at Pleasure Island but any part of us not under the poncho (our faces and our legs) was pretty much soaked by the time we reached the West Side where La Nouba is located. Once again I would have to deal with wet squishy socks. Ugh. The first thing we did was pick up our tickets.

After getting the tickets we both used the bathroom next to the box office and laid out our ponchos and wet socks on a bench to air out a little. Did I mention I hate having wet socks? About 10 minutes later the rain had slowed to a drizzle and the skies were looking clearer so we decided to venture out to find something to do to pass the time before the show. We had a little over an hour to kill.

We didn't have to wander very far before we found House of Blues. Happy Hour was going on from 3-5 so we found seats at the bar outside.

BF ordered a Green Gator: coconut rum, melon liqueur, and pineapple juice - and it was yummy! $7.50

I ordered a Pina Colada $8.50

Neither of our drinks were included in Happy Hour pricing. Oh well - we really enjoyed them anyway! After a few minutes we decided we were hungry so the bartender handed us a menu. He also reminded us that appetizers were half price until the end of Happy Hour which was at 5. It was currently 4:55. We very quickly decided on the Mediterranean Calamari and I hurried to order it at the inside bar (it had to be ordered inside to get the 1/2 price). I had ordered it to-go so we could eat it at the outside bar. Here's a picture of the inside restaurant.

When the calamari was ready I took it back outside to eat. Oh my gosh was it delicious!!! The flavor was so unique and so much better than plain old fried calamari with marinara sauce. We gobbled it up pretty quickly. The only thing BF didn't like was the kalamata olives. He can't stand them. So he just didn't eat them. But he still loved the calamari. And it was an incredible value at just $5.25!
Mediterranean Calamari - tossed with lemon, chili garlic sauce and extra virgin olive oil $10.50

At 5:30 we left to head back to the theatre. We walked up the outside stairs and went right to our seats. It was still pretty empty in there. Now I knew that there was no flash photography or video recording allowed during the show but I didn't think there would be any harm in taking a picture of the empty stage before the show started. I snapped one photo and before I could even look at it to see how it turned out, I was kindly asked by a CM (are they called CMs here?) to not take any photos. Oops. Well, since I have the picture anyway and there really is nothing going on other than a mostly empty tent, I will post the picture here so that anyone thinking about getting tickets can see where we sat. We had a great view of everything:

I had bought the tickets online back in April. We had Category 2 seats (with 1 being better seats and 3 being not-as-good). We sat in Section 203 Row: FF Seats: 9 and 10. We both felt that our seats were great and were happy that we didn't spend even more money to get Category 1 tickets because it really wasn't necessary. We could see everything and had a great view. The tickets were $92.66 each but we both agreed that the price was worth it. The show was absolutely phenomenal! A friend had just taken me to see Zarkana in NYC a week before our trip and it absolutely blew me away. It was my fifth Cirque du Soleil show and by far the best one I'd ever seen. Until seeing La Nouba. It was right up there with Zarkana if not better. They were both exceptional. BF enjoyed both of them every bit as much as I did which is saying something. I'd definitely recommend La Nouba for all ages! However, the show is 90 minutes with no intermission so keep that in mind if you have little ones. That said, we were totally mesmerized for the full 90 minutes, start to finish.

By the time the show ended the weather had really improved and it was looking to be a really nice evening.

Here's a picture of House of Blues with a nice blue sky

We enjoyed a nice leisurely walk through DTD toward our dinner destination.

And finally, we arrived. We were ready for some dinner, music, and dancing! Can you guess where?

Up Next: A delicious dinner, spectacular dessert, and talented dancers

 

[Leshaface]

Wow that calamari looks scrumptious!

Pfft, why in the world can you not take a picture with nothing happening on the stage?! How dumb. But thanks for the picture of that. Back in Jan 2010, we originally had plans to go see La Nouba, but suddenly we had to change our dates and had to get a refund on our money and didn't want to chance having to change our dates again, so we never re-booked La Nouba. We had Cat 2 seats. Darn! I know for sure, we'll be seeing this show when we go back. Did Cat 3 look really bad?? Was there tons more seating behind you?

 

[heathsf]

Wow that calamari looks scrumptious!

Pfft, why in the world can you not take a picture with nothing happening on the stage?! How dumb. But thanks for the picture of that. Back in Jan 2010, we originally had plans to go see La Nouba, but suddenly we had to change our dates and had to get a refund on our money and didn't want to chance having to change our dates again, so we never re-booked La Nouba. We had Cat 2 seats. Darn! I know for sure, we'll be seeing this show when we go back. Did Cat 3 look really bad?? Was there tons more seating behind you?

Here is the seating chart. There were plenty of seats behind us that were also Category 2. Category 3 is way out on the sides. I had seats like that for a different Cirque show in NY a few years ago and while we still enjoyed it, sitting way on the side like that kind of takes something away from the overall show.

 

[Leshaface]

Wow there is a lot of seats behind you. You got some great seats...I can't remember, do you chose the seats or do they choose them for you?

 

[FosterA]

I really really really want to see a Cirque show one day and when we go back to Disney, I am for sure going to pencil this one in. I've never been to a show ever. David went to one in Vegas once but little ol' poor me wasn't there. After your review, we are so there!

I also want to get that appetizer and drink that your BF got! Basically, just walk in your footsteps Well, I can do without the rain and wet socks though!

 

[heathsf]

Wow there is a lot of seats behind you. You got some great seats...I can't remember, do you chose the seats or do they choose them for you?

I couldn't remember either so I went to the website to play around with it. You choose your date, time, and how many tickets you need, then choose the category and it offers you something in that category. I just tried two different dates for category 2 (just to play around) and it offered me seats way on the side. So I cancelled and tried again to see what would happen and I was offered the same exact seats the 2nd time. Then I changed the date to 2 months later and was still offered the same exact seats! So I guess if you want to make particular requests, doing it over the phone may be best. Maybe I just got really lucky with my seats... I did book it online though.

I also noticed that they have this thing on the site that shows you what your view of the stage would be like from any section in the theatre. So if you click on Section 203, it shows you what your view of the stage would look like. That wasn't there when I booked. I just went based on what I read on The Dis.

I really really really want to see a Cirque show one day and when we go back to Disney, I am for sure going to pencil this one in. I've never been to a show ever. David went to one in Vegas once but little ol' poor me wasn't there. After your review, we are so there!

I also want to get that appetizer and drink that your BF got! Basically, just walk in your footsteps Well, I can do without the rain and wet socks though!

Yes! Pencil it in! It's not a "Disney" themed show so I would expect even David to be totally amazed by it! I'm sure the kids will be. It's just so spectacular. And your kids are older so you won't have to worry about them sitting through a 90 minute show with no intermission

 

[BMC423]

Hello! Merry Christmas! and Happy New Year!!! Hope you and your family had a great holiday! Now on to your TR:

I literally loled at "sick of chocolate cake". I love that you found those hidden Mickey's at COP. I haven't been on that since my first trip I think it will be on our must do for this years trip. How cute are you guys with Chip n' Dale!!

THANK YOU for posting the GF pics!!! It really is beautiful! I've never been there and I am on a mission to stay at the Beach Club I also loled when I saw the pic of your BF at the kiddie area! How funny!

Your TR is making want to take an adults only trip... I mentioned to DH he said can we plan one trip at a time

 

[heathsf]

Hello! Merry Christmas! and Happy New Year!!! Hope you and your family had a great holiday! Now on to your TR:

I literally loled at "sick of chocolate cake". I love that you found those hidden Mickey's at COP. I haven't been on that since my first trip I think it will be on our must do for this years trip. How cute are you guys with Chip n' Dale!!

THANK YOU for posting the GF pics!!! It really is beautiful! I've never been there and I am on a mission to stay at the Beach Club I also loled when I saw the pic of your BF at the kiddie area! How funny!

Your TR is making want to take an adults only trip... I mentioned to DH he said can we plan one trip at a time

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you too!!

BF is such a kid sometimes... that's why I feel that WDW is the perfect place for him but he just doesn't seem to fully get the magic like us Dis*ers do. He was genuinely excited to hug those chipmunks and it was totally his idea to sit in the kiddie chair to watch cartoons. That's all him. Yet he's not dying to take another trip like I am. Sigh. But we did have a great time on this trip.
I can understand you wanting to take an adults only trip. But on the other hand, I don't have kids and I'm already looking forward to taking them to WDW! So I guess it goes both ways...

 

[heathsf]

Wednesday, August 24 - Part 8

We had just seen a spectacular Cirque du Soleil show and were ready for some food! We enjoyed a nice walk through the West Side to Pleasure Island where we had an 8:15 ADR scheduled at Raglan Road. We wanted to eat after the show but didn’t want to make the reservation too early and feel rushed to get there. Turns out, 8:15 was a good time. We arrived early without feeling like we needed to hurry. And even better, we only had to wait a few minutes to be seated.

BF actually chose this restaurant (yay for BF participating in the trip planning!) I helped him in the right direction by sending him a list of DDP participating restaurants in DTD. He picked Raglan Road because of the Irish theme. (Have you noticed the shirt he wore on this day? Not a coincidence…) BF is very proud of his Irish heritage and he’s been enjoying it even more since our fabulous trip to Ireland last summer. One of our favorite memories from that trip was a night spent in a small pub where some locals were getting together for a traditional Irish music session. To give you an idea of how genuine it was, BF and I were the only Americans in there, and there was one man from the UK. Everyone else was from Galway. So anyway, this wasn’t a show or anything, just locals hanging out and playing music together for fun. A few of the patrons even started dancing together – and it was all unscripted and totally improvised. It was one of the coolest things I’d ever experienced. Now back to the present day, one of the things that drew us to Raglan Road was the live music and dancing. We were hoping the experience here would be somewhat similar to what we saw in Galway.

So in the main seating area, there is a stage at the front for musicians and a stage at the center of the room for dancing. You can kind of see the center stage in the picture, the handrail is pretty obvious right in the middle of the photo.

In addition to the main seating area, there is a little room towards the back, away from the stage. That is where we were seated. This was the view from our seats.

There was no way we could see any of the performers without getting up and walking to the other side of this little room. There are short performances every so often (maybe every 20 minutes?) so it’s not like a dinner show, but it was frustrating that we were in a part of the restaurant where we were really missing out. In hindsight, I’m not sure why we didn’t ask for a different table. It was really inconvenient. When a performance started, we would get up and go stand by the entrance to this back area but there really wasn’t a good place to stand where we weren’t either hovering over other people while they were trying to eat, or standing in the way of waiters and waitresses carrying lots of trays of food and drinks to all the people at the “good” tables. We really should have asked for a different table. Oh well. Don’t be silly like me and BF, if you decide to eat here, request a table where you will be able to see the performers.

Now with that said, we had a really good time here. We eventually stopped getting up every time a performance started and just listened from our table and still enjoyed the music and the sounds of step dancing. So without further ado, let’s get to the food!

Raglan Road has an extraordinarily extensive menu, well at least compared to most other WDW restaurants. This is just one section of the menu:

Here is a link to Raglan Road’s fairly humorous website. Actually, this link should take you directly to the dinner menu. Since I failed you and did not take pictures of the entire menu, I’m hoping to make it up to you by making it easy for you to see the rest of the menu. Please accept my apologies. Here is the link:
Raglan Road - Stuff Yourself - Dinner Menu

We started off with some bread. I don’t remember it being particularly good or bad. Wait, now I have a feeling it was soda bread. I didn’t write it down. I’m so sorry. I’m really letting you down tonight. Here’s a picture.

And oil for dipping. What’s that mixed in with the oil, you ask? I want to say malt vinegar, but I am guessing. Does that seem like something that would be mixed with the oil? I’ll do better with the rest of the meal, I promise.

BF decided to indulge in a Beer Flight, and he chose “The Four Provinces” featuring Guinness, Smithwicks, Harp, and Kilkenny. He enjoyed all four.

I ordered the Shepherds Pie, or more specifically, “Keen Eye for the Shepherds Pie” $18. It was absolutely delectable. It doesn’t look like a huge portion but I wasn’t able to finish it. And I wanted to.

BF ordered the Lamb Shank, more formally known as “Lambo”: Lamb shank braised in rosemary jus with mash, leeks, ****ake mushrooms & baby carrots $28. I didn’t write anything down but BF says he remembers it being good. I don't see any mushrooms in the picture so I think BF may have requested "no mushrooms" since he does not like them.

We ordered a side to share with our meal and it was one of the best decisions we made all day (and we had made a lot of good decisions this day – for instance, deciding to go to MK for rope drop, seeing La Nouba, hugging Chip & Dale, and riding Peter Pan early in the morning to name a few – so that tells you a lot about how good this side was!) We ordered the Garlic Parmesan & Truffle Oil Skinny Chips (fries) and they were so flipping yummy! $5

BF did a nice job savoring the beers and making them last throughout the meal.

Now for dessert. I had read some reviews of Raglan Road before the trip and it seemed that quite a few DISers felt that the bread pudding here was one of the best desserts in all of WDW so I just had to try it. BF went for it too.

Here it is, Ger’s Bread and Butter Pudding $8.50

What I wrote in my notebook was that it was “Out of this World!” And as I remember, it certainly was. Yummy yummy yummy. But best dessert in all of WDW? I’d have to say no. The best dessert in all of WDW is the quick service chocolate cake. JUST KIDDING! I think I’d have to go with the Maple Crème Brulee at Le Cellier. But I am digressing. This bread pudding was outstanding. In fact, I wish I could eat it right now.

With dessert, BF ordered Irish Black Tea which he enjoyed. I am not really a fan of tea so I am just taking his word for it.

After a very tasty, filling, and enjoyable dinner we ventured back outside and decided to walk through the rest of DTD into the Marketplace.

BF had a very good time playing with the Legos. I had a very difficult time tearing him away. After he built a racecar that took 2nd place in a race (against some 8-year-olds) I was finally able to get him to leave. We saw a fun dance party and the catchy music had us dancing our way towards the World of Disney store. I found out later that the catchy music was the Cupid Shuffle (I had heard the song before, but didn’t know the name).

We browsed around a bit but didn’t buy anything. We spent some more time just strolling and taking in the sights before catching a bus back to Pop. Here’s a somewhat random picture of one of the bowling pins lit up all pretty at the resort.

To sum it all up, we had a fantastic day and a really fun night. I just have to say that I love Disney World. As I wrap up this update and think about what a great day we had, I can’t help but be a little sad that I have no plans right now to go back. But on the bright side, I still have 2 more days left to relive through this TR!

Up Next: An adventurous day at Epcot!

 

[BMC423]

Sorry you don't have a trip in the works... I know its frustrating. Maybe something will happen you never know, trips sometimes just come together when you least expect them.

Your food at Raglan Road looks delicious! I'm going to order that Creme Brulee at Le Cellier. I love Creme Brulee and if you say its the best one at WDW I'm definitely going to try it.

I think your Ireland story is awesome! One of my best friends went there on her honeymoon. She's Irish and yes from her pictures it is such a beautiful place.

 

[StephaniexMarie]

A Few Pictures of Pop Century
Early morning painting touch-ups:

I subbed a while ago but finally got around to reading now! I'm loving your trip report so far. When we were at Pop in August, the construction workers were touching up the signs every day. These pictures bring back memories! ​

 

[Leshaface]

That beer looks amazing and so do those truffle fries! Good Gravy!!!

I've always heard great things about Raglan Road. We definitely need to make a ressie here. Especially for those fries.

YES! I'm ready for Epcot!

 

[teekathepony]

I ate at Raglan Road back in 2007, it was delicious. I've wanted to go back ever since! Looks like you guys had a great time!

 

[Laffites Landing]

Loving the trips report! Just thinking about it, I guess we should be happy that not everyone is obsessed with the Disney parks like we are. Could you imagine how much more expensive and crowded all the parks would be! Criminy!

Anyway, I'm hooked and looking forward to more updates. So far it is very fun to follow along. (I am currently wearing a sweatshirt that says "Ireland drinking team- charter member" on it and my Mother was actually born in Dublin. I can relate to being proud of my Irish heritage!)

Looking forward to more!

 

[heathsf]

Sorry you don't have a trip in the works... I know its frustrating. Maybe something will happen you never know, trips sometimes just come together when you least expect them.

Your food at Raglan Road looks delicious! I'm going to order that Creme Brulee at Le Cellier. I love Creme Brulee and if you say its the best one at WDW I'm definitely going to try it.

I think your Ireland story is awesome! One of my best friends went there on her honeymoon. She's Irish and yes from her pictures it is such a beautiful place.

I'm hoping an opportunity for a trip will pop up, but for now I am just missing WDW so much! Thank goodness for the DIS so I can live through other people's TRs!

If you're a Creme Brulee fan, definitely go for it at Le Cellier. It was SO good. I wanted to lick the dish when I was done so I could get every last drop.

I subbed a while ago but finally got around to reading now! I'm loving your trip report so far. When we were at Pop in August, the construction workers were touching up the signs every day. These pictures bring back memories! ​

Oh my gosh! This is really funny...I started reading your TR over the weekend! I was already getting into it when I saw that you had commented here! What a funny coincidence. I wasn't going to write on your TR until I finished catching up, but I've just started Day 3 so I've got a little ways to go still. Anyway, I'm glad you're here reading along

That beer looks amazing and so do those truffle fries! Good Gravy!!!

I've always heard great things about Raglan Road. We definitely need to make a ressie here. Especially for those fries.

YES! I'm ready for Epcot!

I can't testify for the beers but BF certainly enjoyed them. But the fries... they were amazing.

I ate at Raglan Road back in 2007, it was delicious. I've wanted to go back ever since! Looks like you guys had a great time!

It was so delicious. I'm really glad we tried it.

Loving the trips report! Just thinking about it, I guess we should be happy that not everyone is obsessed with the Disney parks like we are. Could you imagine how much more expensive and crowded all the parks would be! Criminy!

Anyway, I'm hooked and looking forward to more updates. So far it is very fun to follow along. (I am currently wearing a sweatshirt that says "Ireland drinking team- charter member" on it and my Mother was actually born in Dublin. I can relate to being proud of my Irish heritage!)

Looking forward to more!

Thanks for joining!

You're probably right about the bolded. If BF was as obsessed as I am, we would have a real problem because I'd be spending all my money on trips to Disney if I didn't have him stopping me. Not to mention what would happen if everyone was like us DISers.

BF brought back a few of those Drinking Team t-shirts for his brothers from our trip. Have you visited Ireland?

 

[FosterA]

Excellent review of Raglan Road! I would be all over those fries! Those look amazing.

Pretty funny about BF and his lego-time

Can't wait for the next update!

 

[Laffites Landing]

You're probably right about the bolded. If BF was as obsessed as I am, we would have a real problem because I'd be spending all my money on trips to Disney if I didn't have him stopping me. Not t mention what would happen if everyone was like us DISers.

BF brought back a few of those Drinking Team t-shirts for his brothers from our trip. Have you visited Ireland?

Yep, my wife, who is likes Disney very much(just not quite as much I seem to), keeps me from going to Disneyland even more often. I guess we should be happy!

As for Ireland. My last trip was 1980... when I was 10! It's pretty high on my to-do list. My Mother returns "home" about every 10 years and went this last summer. When I go, I'm hoping to include a trip to Paris.... to see DLRP.... might not make it but we'll see....

Take care!