It really is my birthday; no guilt; lots of treats My Birthday, typing as you read!

[lblume91]

Happy belated birthday to you! I'm so jealous. DH & I will celebrate our 20th anniversary this summer and we haven't had a child-less getaway yet. Anyhoo... Looking forward to the rest of your reviews!!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Great report so far!

Kona Question: About the wings, you said: "our waitress wouldn't make an exception..." Is that because the wings are an appetizer for 2 on the deluxe dining plan? I was looking at the menu and it doesn't specify, so I was curious.

Yes, we were on deluxe for our first three days, and no plan for the end of the trip.

So the wings our an appetizer for 2. I have read here on how some waitstaff will overlook the "2" and let you order another appetizer. We seemed to get all the waitstaff who did not make exceptions. I am not complaining. It says two and well it was enough for 2. Sometimes that little evil green man comes through my head and pushes out the jealousy that others have gotten, but hey, I was at Disney and I don't want to complain... Kind of like when we went back to Kona for breakfast and couldn't get the press-pot of coffee.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Great review of Kona Cafe...am glad you managed to use your birthday to get the sticky wings

The desserts look great!

Yep, I trumped DH with the it's my birthday, but I knew that there were other opportunities throughout the week for him to get his pot-stickers. I am not totally evil, or am I?

Happy belated birthday to you! I'm so jealous. DH & I will celebrate our 20th anniversary this summer and we haven't had a child-less getaway yet. Anyhoo... Looking forward to the rest of your reviews!!

This was my first in 20 years. It was awkward at first, then when I got injured it went more into the fact that DH was so concerned about me that we didn't really do or say anything. He just wanted me to feel better. We are going to have to do a re-do though. I felt horrible ruining more than 1/2 of the trip. And he called home and told the kids that I was hurt, so they were all alone freaking out. Not the best way to use your first trip from the kids. Hopefully we will get better at it!!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

My first real meal was this.....

Yes DH and I ate Beignets for dinner, well before our meal at Kona. And I was proud of it. Ice tea and Beignets, and I could have gone back for more...


Only problem is they come in 3's and there were 2 of us... Now who do you think go the extra one??

Don't worry, I split it!

 

[kelleigh1]

I was going to ask if you used the Birthday Trump Card again. LOL

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

What an awesome birthday gift!! Your Kona meal looked good - I enjoyed the banana creme brulee as well! Looking forward to reading more!

 

[tluvstink]

What a great birthday! I am loving your reviews and am looking forward to more

Terri

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

or as you all may remember - "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!"
Proof of our visit:

Okay, my words of wisdom, when vacationing with just your significant other, sleeping in becomes a really great benefit. Poor DH didn't have the heart to wake me and we had a 8:15am Boma Breakfast. Needless to say we didn't make it until around 9ish, but they sat us promptly.

We were seated somewhere in the back of the restaurant. I love this area and really wish we had more of a view... Are you starting to see a pattern?

My view:

The table to the left of us:

So you can see it was in a nook, a bit dark, but let's call it "romantic"
Our waitress stopped at our table a total of three times, she introduced herself and asked if we wanted coffee/juice and asked if we were on the dining plan, brought us our coffee/juice, and dropped off the final paperwork. I had to ask other waitresses to bring us more juice and to get the bill. I'm not sure if I prefer it that way, but it's a buffet and before I could say are you ready..... DH was off and running to the omelet station. The man is in love with making the omelet "his" way. Twice I believe, or there may have been a third! I in turn, started at the beginning and walked politely through the lines getting all my favorites, and getting all the stuff I knew DH would forget...

Here's some food pictures: (I am still not sure if I am fan of showing a plate from a buffet, but at least it gives you a little idea of choices and I was too late to picture the buffet itself, sorry)

#1 of DH's omelet, fresh cut turkey/ham, potatoes, scrambled eggs with goat cheese and chives (try them, trust me, you will love them)

Now, I am getting a bit round in the tummy lately and I am on my way back to my normal weight (lets say 6 months), but this is my idea of the ideal way to end your breakfast, with a hot cup of coffee - scones, sticky buns, and cinnamon buns.

Editorial - feel free to ignore if you were just looking for the food porn..

Now Boma is my favorite Buffet at Disney. It is across the street from Animal Kingdom so it fits in perfectly if it is AK day. So even though it would normally be out of the way, it's not. Now I love characters and visit them frequently in the parks, actually DH got me this book for signatures for my birthday,

and my goal is to get it filled as much as possible, AKA LOTS of trips for me.

Boma is the buffet of kings/queens minus characters. It's extremely versatile, you get your normal food, and then there are foods like Pap and Spicy sausage with bisquits which will have me dreaming and wanting to go back. We highly recommend the meal, and next trip we WILL be doing dinner. For food, atmosphere, and value, we give it a 9. Our waitress, well she's a 6, but I am not sure I really care, it gave DH and I time to eat at our own pace... I wonder maybe they saw the "love" in our eyes... J/K!!

So all in all, it was a great start to Valentine's Day, I can't remember the last time DH said he just sat and watched me sleep so peacefully. God, I really do love that man!!

Next up, lunch at Yak and Yeti!!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

The goat cheese scrambled eggs are fabulous, aren't they?? I'm glad you enjoyed your breakfast at Boma! Have fun getting the character autographs!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Am glad you managed to get seated even though you were late, late, late!

Btw scones, sticky buns and cinammon buns...that is my kind of breakfast!!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

great reviews, half a stay of dxdp and half without sounds ideaal to me. Love Boma so much - it inspired us to book AKL for an extra fix of hummus at dinner and sticky buns at breakfast :

 

[diamondpixienc]

Great review and pics... Keep em coming

 

[disneydreaminA115]

Subbing! Excited to read more of your reviews

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

This is our first full day on the deluxe plan, and I am starting to get into the "dining scene". DH and I were actually hungry at our 1pm lunch time, problem was we were on Kilimanjaro Safaris, with a side trip to tackle the Yeti. I know, I know you make ADRs and keeping them is a good idea. We were ready to be turned away if needed, but to be honest, every time we have gone to Yak and Yeti they have sat us with no problem.

So we walked in and I was greeted with....."Finally the Birthday girl is here!". It was one of my highlights of the trip. Very sweet, and the manager brought us to our table, upstairs with a nice view. It was my first time upstairs and I really liked it. Here's our view:

The second picture shows my "artistic eye"...

For the report, and just because I am a "creature of habit", DH had a coke, I had an un-sweet tea!!

So I told you I wasn't totally evil, DH got to get potstickers for his appetizer and I offered to order also to double them, but we both wanted to try the wok-fried green beans. Wok-fried, but green beans, we were doing good, right?

They were both excellent. The green beans are really hard to explain. I can NOT eat greasy foods. These are the farthest from greasy, they are just perfect. The sauce was a bit spicy, but not really. I would definitely have them again. Our waiter called the pot-stickers, 3 minute wonders, because they never last longer than 3 minutes on the plate. He offered us another order for my b-day but we declined.

For appetizers, I had the sweet and sour chicken, (yes I always get it, but it is made with fresh bell peppers and pineapple, too hard to give up) and DH had the Chicken Lo-Mein.

DH's Lo Mein is on my plate, we shared, you can see his across the table, sorry, not my best attempt at a picture.

We once again enjoyed our meals. We have now been there 4 times, and have been impressed each and every time. Our new items were the Lo Mein, Green Beans, and both desserts. So we did go out a bit from the comfort zone and were still very happy!

Okay, off to desserts! I had the Fried Wontons and DH had the New York Cheesecake with a coffee. This is also where, employees started to stop and wish me a Happy Birthday. Anyone who walked by wished me well, so I didn't remember to take pictures. Sorry.

The WonTon were a perfect ending, not to sweet, just perfect and I would love to find them around town. DH said it was NY Style Cheesecake and he is a cheesecake snob.

Overall, Yak and Yet gets a 10. Nothing out of place, friendly, fresh food, clean, and quiet!! I am really glad to have a favorite at Animal Kingdom for a T.S., it helps to extend your day to more than 1/2 of a day park.

And before I go, and full disclosure that DH will take a while to forgive me...hehe - I have a video of him being the warthog trainer at FOTHLK. Once the kids explain how to load it, I promise I will be back to add it!!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Keep holding on, you'll make it,
here's my hand so take it,
Look for me, reaching out to show
as sure as rivers flow.
I'll be your candle on the water,
this flame inside of me will grow.
I'll never let you go.
-- Pete's Dragon

So a little sappy for Valetine's Day, but we took the water boat over to DTD, and then a leisurely walk to the SSR for our dinner at the Turf club. We held hands, laughed, and well it was really nice. Cold, extremely cold, but very nice.

It was my first time in SSR and also at The Turf Club. It is actually small and very pub-like. Not your "totally romantic" setting, but we made it ours. So that is what matters.

We were seated within 5 minutes of our time, and we probably didn't look very dressy by then. The breeze on the boat and the walk in the cold had our noses red.....

Our waiter was nice. He took time to explain the whole menu, his likes/dislikes etc. DH and I may not look the part, but we are really large tippers because we realize how hard the work is, and our waiter was well deserving.

He also offered to do one course at a time, which we both appreciated. So in case you were wondering, DH had a coke and I had an un-sweet tea. This was brought out with it...

It was a crusty oat-type bread which was very good, the butter was just plain butter, no salts etc.

For my appetizer I had the French Onion Soup which was "Souper", corny much!

DH had the onion rings with two dipping sauces.

He stated they were really really good, I can't tell you for sure, since they looked a little to greasy for me, but he ate them all!!

We both had the same entree, Grilled New York Strip - with lump crabmeat, asparagus, Bernaise Sauce, and red bliss potatoes. Now this is out of our comfort zone a bit. First time we both have either had lump crabmeat. Very good, Bernaise - not our cup of tea, but it is served on the side. The steak was very tender, and DH could eat 9/10ths of it!! Score for us.

Now this is where the night gets a bit fuzzy, no alcohol was used in the creating of the meal, but for the life of me, I can't find the dessert pictures. I took them, but "Poof", they are nowhere!

I had the warm expresso torte and DH had the warm apple crisp with coffee. Both were good, not exceptional, but good.

Now for this dinner we give is a low sided 8. Some of the staff seemed to look down on us, I know, I shouldn't be paranoid, but DH felt it also. And behind us were seat crashers. Seriously, they walked in sat at the table behind us and demanded to be served. The manager explained they were booked but this couple refused to leave. They were dressed in sweat pants and looked like they just woke up. (I am not judging, we looked out of place also, but seriously they refused to leave). This made it uncomfortable for DH and I.

I may try the restaurant again, but for lunch. It has a lunch vibe to me.

DH and I took the bus back, not so romantic, but definetely warmer. We cuddled on the bus.

 

[disney_princess_85]

Great reviews!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Your meal at Yak n Yeti sounds great! on getting the 'Finally, the birthday girl has arrived' comment - what a way to start your meal!

It's a shame about the seat crashers at The Turf Club but am glad you still enjoyed your time there.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

This is going to be a really short dining report, and a little bit of helpful or not so helpful hint for some.

DH and I could not wake up in time for our 1900 Park Faire reservation. I love this place, and did try to get a later reservation, but it just wasn't working for us this Tuesday in February... So without further ado, breakfast is served:

We shared a bagel, fruit, and two nice cups of hot coffee.

See I told you boring post, and now for my thoughts on the DxDDP.

I was worried to book 2credit meals for the worry to pay OOP. This was defnitely not the best move I could have made. Next time (and yes I would do it over again, even with my mistakes) we will book some 2credit signature meals or shows.

As you will see even at the end of our credit time, (coming soon in this report) we ordered a 2credit room service meal that was OUT of this WORLD!! Lesson learned, don't be afraid to go all guns shooting with the DxDDP, it will be worth it, even if the receipt doesn't say so!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Only problem is they come in 3's and there were 2 of us... Now who do you think go the extra one??

Don't worry, I split it!

Wow are you a nice wife or what? That wouldnt work with my hubby...its eat or be eaten with him....you snooze you lose!

#1 of DH's omelet, fresh cut turkey/ham, potatoes, scrambled eggs with goat cheese and chives (try them, trust me, you will love them)

I agree, those eggs were fantastic! I could not get enough of them and I have tried to make them at home but they are just not the same

For my appetizer I had the French Onion Soup which was "Souper", corny much!

DH had the onion rings with two dipping sauces.

Wowza! Those 2 items have me wanting to run there! We have never dined there but its on the list for "one day"

Maybe lunch will be a better fit for us, we can hop there from a park and then hop back.....

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Wow are you a nice wife or what? That wouldnt work with my hubby...its eat or be eaten with him....you snooze you lose!



I agree, those eggs were fantastic! I could not get enough of them and I have tried to make them at home but they are just not the same



Wowza! Those 2 items have me wanting to run there! We have never dined there but its on the list for "one day"

Maybe lunch will be a better fit for us, we can hop there from a park and then hop back.....

I couldn't believe how quick the walk was from DTD to SSR. This was definitely a trip of "new stuff" for us. I didn't know that there are resort area's until this trip and that the boats ran... We were totally child blinded by staying at Pop Century and taking buses. While getting injured was the worst case scenario at Disney this year, the knowledge without children was invaluable.

Most of all, we will definitely save, do different resorts and different food plans each time. Maybe even "plan" non-park days. My eyes have been opened to the possibilities of an "adult" Disney World!