It's Magical! A 10yr Anniv Dining Report with Extras! Updated 9/4!!!

[MrsB1228]

Sorry your meal at Jiko wasn't all that. Those portions do look tiny! DSis and I found them to be just the right size when we were there last fall, but they certainly weren't large enough to split.

Love the pics of the Safari animals! We've never dined at Tusker House and won't be this year either. DH isn't at all interested so I guess it'll have to wait until Nancy and I return.

 

[disney meema]

The animals are so amazing and you took some great pictures. We go about the same time to tusker house but not entirely to get breakfast and lunch but I do really like having more options, rather because the normal is someone gets up late so I make our reservations on the late side of breakfast during family trips. I honestly can't remember a stand out food wise but we always put tusker house on our plans it's like part of going to AK : ) it's one buffet we always plan.
Love your pictures with the characters and the guys are funny! (( good times ))

 

[Linda67]

Hello Paula
Seems like everyone has started their DRs whilst I was at WDW !!
I have a lot to catch up on so I will be back shortly with comments …. just wanted to say 'I'm here!'
Happy belated Birthday and say 'Hi' to Hunter

 

[Linda67]

I'm back!
So that was a fabulous way to spend my Sunday afternoon - your reviews are wonderful as always Paula
Lots to comment on but here are just a few!
POR - we stayed at this resort for two nights ahead of our cruise in a AB room ..... LOVED IT !!! ..... Even counting the many deluxe resorts we have stayed in, this was our fave resort so far with the exception of WL which I know you love as well
Citricos is the only signature we have yet to try and your review makes me think we should!
CG is always wonderful and I love to just stick to their apps and sushi menu
Jiko - I'm happy you had a drink on me and thanks to Barb for helping me with the surprise
I have BAD post trip blues at the moment so your reviews are really helping .... So hope we can meet up in WDW again

 

[tdashgirl]

All caught up

I agree, our touring styles are very similar

 

[emmysmommy]

They guys had fun with Daisy! Those characters may fear rowdy kids but our guys gave them a run for their money with their antics.

I'm glad this worked out to share this meal with you guys since it wouldn't have been nearly as fun with just Michael and me.

If I hadn't already filled up on the breakfast options I may have left room for the hummus and other salads which I'm sure were better than the bobotie.

Happy Belated birthday Paula! I hope you are having fun celebrating with Hunter!!

 

[smile4stamps]

Sorry your meal at Jiko wasn't all that. Those portions do look tiny! DSis and I found them to be just the right size when we were there last fall, but they certainly weren't large enough to split.

Love the pics of the Safari animals! We've never dined at Tusker House and won't be this year either. DH isn't at all interested so I guess it'll have to wait until Nancy and I return.

I think if you are each ordering an App, Entree and Dessert than yes the portions might be okay but even then I think it may be pushing it with that tiny salad and small amount of protein!

I truly enjoy Tusker House but I think we will pass on doing character meals this upcoming trip.

I think our dates overlap for October?!?!

The animals are so amazing and you took some great pictures. We go about the same time to tusker house but not entirely to get breakfast and lunch but I do really like having more options, rather because the normal is someone gets up late so I make our reservations on the late side of breakfast during family trips. I honestly can't remember a stand out food wise but we always put tusker house on our plans it's like part of going to AK : ) it's one buffet we always plan.
Love your pictures with the characters and the guys are funny! (( good times ))

Yes, Tusker House is a great choice in AK! I liked the timing of our meal it worked out well for us... except that we weren't quite hungry at our next ADR...

Hello Paula
Seems like everyone has started their DRs whilst I was at WDW !!
I have a lot to catch up on so I will be back shortly with comments …. just wanted to say 'I'm here!'
Happy belated Birthday and say 'Hi' to Hunter

Thanks for the Birthday wishes! I did see this when I was in CO and told him hi.

I'm back!
So that was a fabulous way to spend my Sunday afternoon - your reviews are wonderful as always Paula
Lots to comment on but here are just a few!
POR - we stayed at this resort for two nights ahead of our cruise in a AB room ..... LOVED IT !!! ..... Even counting the many deluxe resorts we have stayed in, this was our fave resort so far with the exception of WL which I know you love as well
Citricos is the only signature we have yet to try and your review makes me think we should!
CG is always wonderful and I love to just stick to their apps and sushi menu
Jiko - I'm happy you had a drink on me and thanks to Barb for helping me with the surprise
I have BAD post trip blues at the moment so your reviews are really helping .... So hope we can meet up in WDW again

I'm glad it provided some Saturday entertainment. Isn't POR awesome! We are there for just 3 nights this fall before moving to our DVC exchange room at SSR. (Not so sure about that one!)

CG will be popping up again soon!

thanks so much for the sparkling wine! I'm usually more of a red wine person but this was perfect for celebrating!

I think we just miss you in the fall. We depart on Oct 17th.

All caught up

I agree, our touring styles are very similar

More of that touring style to come... in the next update in fact lol but not many pictures of the drinks.

They guys had fun with Daisy! Those characters may fear rowdy kids but our guys gave them a run for their money with their antics.

I'm glad this worked out to share this meal with you guys since it wouldn't have been nearly as fun with just Michael and me.

If I hadn't already filled up on the breakfast options I may have left room for the hummus and other salads which I'm sure were better than the bobotie.

Happy Belated birthday Paula! I hope you are having fun celebrating with Hunter!!

Yes they did... although Hunter will tell you he still doesn't like character meals

Thanks for the Birthday wishes. It was good to be in CO with Hunter!

 

[smile4stamps]

After our breakfast at Tusker House we decided we needed some liquid refreshment and stopped at the Dawa Bar. The Bartender made us some Washington Apple’s which I’m not sure what the difference was as I really enjoyed the one at Citrico’s but not any since…

We then headed down one of the trails looking for Tigers… But.. it was the wrong trail so instead we saw…

MONKEYS!

Dung Beetles… EWWW!

A Waterfall

Lots of Fish!

A Hippo!

Meerkats??

And Gorilla’s!

And these wild creatures!!

After finishing the trail and realizing that we had not found any Tigers we parted ways with Brenda and Michael so they could use their FP for Expedition Everest. Hunter and I are not fans of this one so we let them go off on their own and we decided to find a seat at Yak n Yeti for some AC and a drink. We both enjoyed Rum and Diets and waited for our “lunch” ADR.

Soon it was time for “Lunch” and Brenda and Michael returned to join us. However, and this was my doing… we weren’t exactly hungry for lunch as we had just had a breakfast buffet a few hours ago!

Brenda’s lunch was interrupted by several phone calls

For which the guys gave her a hard time through the window.

So instead Hunter and I just had a couple appetizers to share.

Egg Rolls

These are seriously the best egg rolls I have ever had. I always said that Yak n Yeti wasn’t a must do but it really has become one because of these Egg Rolls.

We also got the Pot Stickers which are a must for Hunter.

Michael ordered the Ahi Salad and let me have a little of thise. It was a light salad and good but not something I think I would order again.

And then Brenda’s “Lunch”

Yup… a fortune cookie!

I did offer to let her have an egg roll but the filling breakfast was enough for her to be content.

So while it really wasn’t a “lunch” Yak n Yeti was a good break and some good appetizers! We will return in the fall there! One note about it. They do NOT take TIW and only offer an AP discount on entrees. I am a Landry’s Club Member so I elect to get me points vs trying to use the AP discount (You cannot do both). The Landry’s points even apply to alcohol in Florida which it does not in California!

After our break we headed to use a FP+ on Dinosaur which really wasn’t needed as the standby time was posted at 10minutes and it was actually a walk-on.

After returning back to modern day we decided we had better head out so we could get ready for dinner.

Up Next: Yachtsman Dinner

 

[smile4stamps]

Getting to our dinner at Yachtsman was quite an adventure. It was sprinkling when we left the room and so we thought we would be okay with Disney Transportation. We were going to take the route of a bus from Wilderness Lodge to MK and then a bus to the Yacht Club.

Just as the bus pulls up it starts to rain a bit harder…

On the bus I am getting water dripped on me INSIDE the bus..

ALL BAD SIGNS!!

As the bus is pulling into MK it started absolutely POURING! Not a gentle rain.. not even a straight rain.. A SIDEWAYS rain that no matter what meant we were getting soaked. And we were COMPLETELY soaked to the skin! I was glad I had a wrap with me as though it got wet it at least provided a little cover during the meal.

I think I avoided pictures while in this state so lets get to the meal… If you have seen my posts on Barb’s and Brenda’s thread you will know that I was not impressed with this meal. Speaking of their threads you can find Brenda's review HERE and Barb's review HERE

But back to the beginning…

Some Menu pictures.

Our favorite wine!

This bottle was complements of Brenda and Michael! Thank you VERY MUCH!

Glorious rolls!

Butter and squeeze it out yourself garlic.

I’m not a fan of the garlic served this way as it is much more difficult to get to the garlic without making a mess!!

We started with the Charcuterie

Descriptions

The charcuterie was good. Hard to mess up cured meats! My favorites are the Prosciutto and the Country Style Sausage.

Hunter chose the Filet ordered Medium-Rare

This picture doesn’t even look appetizing to me. The meat was overcooked and not very enjoyable for him.

I went with the Rib-eye substituting the Twice Baked Potato for the Bone Marrow. (I am a fan of Bone Marrow but was just wanted some carbs instead!)

My steak was cooked okay but it was a BAD cut of meat. I’m sorry but a Rib-Eye should not look like separate pieces of meat. The flavor was just off… As comparison Michael’s Rib-Eye actually looked like a Ribeye.

So my meat tasted off and the Twice Baked Potato was on the Salty side along with the other sides that we had.

Truffle Mac n Cheese… wasn’t very creamy and was lacking in flavor overall.

Brenda and Michaels Brussel Sprouts

These were an overcooked Salt Lick.

So.. AS you might be able to infer at this point we were not happy with the main Course. The meats were incorrectly cooked or bad cuts and the sides had no flavor or were super salty. Nothing was of the caliber we would expect from a Signature Restaurant. Were we able to communicate this with the server so it could be corrected? Nope.. He was not very present during our meal and so we were unable to tell him of the issues. We did call over the Expediter to call some of it to his attention and in that conversation Hunter asked if there were a bunch of smokers in the kitchen. He replied that there was not.. Well one he said.. Hunter asked if that person was responsible for the brussel sprouts.. He was silent for a second and then said yes, actually he is. We explained that they were incredibly salty and inedible. We also explained our other issues with this meal expecting that he would attempt to correct some of it but the only thing to come of that was the brussel sprouts being removed from Brenda and Michael’s bill.

Our server then appeared again but not long enough for us to explain we were dissatisfied.. Instead he presented the table with 3 plates of truffles for the celebrations.

All plates were the same

I don’t remember the flavors of these.. I know one was a really sticky marshmallow and another was mint.. I let Hunter have ours as he is the Chocolate guy!

Leaving this meal we were upset that it had been so poor. It was really putting a damper on our trip and this combined with the small portions at Jiko and another upcoming meal had us seriously considering not returning in October. We discussed it though and want F&W to be our last AP trip to Disney so we are returning but we WILL NOT be dining at Yachtsman.

This dinner actually festered in me for so long and the fact that they presented food that looked like that and didn’t do anything to correct it had me truly upset. I finally broke down and emailed Disney about the experience and am happy with our resolution. It will not have me going back there but hopefully the info has been communicated to the restaurant so future visitors have better experiences.

Up Next: Magic Kingdom and LTT!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Sorry to read about your Yachtsman meal again. Barb's and Brenda's reviews already touched upon the overcooked meat and poor sides, but it's sad how every meat course (except maybe Michael's, so 4 out of 5) had a major issue. At those prices, that's embarrassing.

 

[kastoney]

Been following along on your travel companions reports and just found yours. You guys are truly a couple after my own heart. Drink, eat, drink, eat, and repeat. And sharing food is our preference too. Love to nibble and share and of course drink and try as much as possible. Can't wait to see what else you have in store.

 

[KatMark]

I'm caught up again, Paula.

It's funny...we were at Tusker House earlier this month and woill.n't be going back. The service was terrible and there just didn't seem to be as much of a selection in the past. We did see the characters more than once.

Sorry you weren't hungry for a full lunch at Yak & Yeti; but I'm with Hunter...must have those pot stickers. I remember the picture of Brenda on the phone being posted on FB and laughing at the boys teasing her.

I am so disappointed and sorry about your meal at Yachtsman. We've eaten there three times within the last year and had outstanding meals and service each time. I am hoping it was an off night. But they should have definitely done more than just taking the brussell sprouts off the bill.

 

[rachel09985]

I sure hope Yachtsman refunded you your money for your awful meal. You know it is bad when you thought about it for the entire trip! We tried it for the first time in March and I didn't care for it either. It wasn't anything special and we also had poor service!

 

[MrsB1228]

I think our dates overlap for October?!?!

Yes, I think they do!! We'll be there Sept. 29 - Oct. 13.

 

[MrsB1228]

Just finished reading your Yachtsman review and it's truly inexcusable that the majority of the entrees served weren't cooked properly or were poor cuts of beef. A restaurant that advertises itself as a steakhouse had better know how to cook a steak to a diner's preference. In her review, Brenda posted a picture of the shoe leather that was served to her and I commented how shocked I was that any restaurant, never mind a Signature, would allow a plate that looked like that one did to leave the kitchen. Really appalling.

At least you had great company so the evening wasn't a total write-off!

 

[disney meema]

Wow I just can't believe they served such crazy pieces of meat, over cooked and salty sides yikes! I've seen better steaks at sizzler ...

 

[KimBean]

Great review!! One question, how did you note your celebration? We will be there in Dec for our 20th anniversary. We also went to WDW for our honeymoon so special place for us.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Ugh, what an all around awful meal! I hated to read that it made you doubt returning in the Fall! So glad you decided to go! And glad to hear that you are satisfied with Disney's resolution for you.

Jay asked about going to YSH and I showed him Brenda's awful looking piece of meat. When I show him yours, there will be no doubt in his mind that I am right in not going!

 

[jabead]

Ahhh Yachtsman...what more can I say? I do want to thank Paula though. Because she took the time to pursue this further, I recently received a $30 credit on my credit card. Though this did not heal the wounds that we all sustained that night, it did help take the sting out of being "burned". However, this situation really should have been rectified by our server/management that evening. Is it too much to ask that your server return to your table shortly after the food has been delivered to make sure that all is well? I think not.

 

[MEK]

Enjoyed your recent food reviews, but sorry about the bad experience at Yachtsman. I remember reading about this disappointing meal on Brenda's TR. I'm glad you wrote them and were able to get some type of resolution. Everything should be perfect, or near perfect, at a place like that.