Keep Calm and Go to Disney! 10/21 - 11/4/14 COMPLETE

[jedijill]

Catching back up. PFTS looks great! I did it many years ago either the first or second year of the Festival and loved the food but hated the rude patrons. Hopefully that has gotten better over the years. Those chocolates look amazing!

I love Kona breakfast and always get the macadamia nut pancakes too. Yum!

Jill in CO

 

[Wood Nymph]

Your Kona pancakes look like they need a little more pineapple. Is the macadamia in the pancakes or in the butter?

 

[SmallWorld71]

Late to the party, but following along. I love your reports!

 

[kastoney]

Mmmmmm could devour some of those pancakes right now. Think they deliver? Looks like a great dismeet. Can't wait to salivate over more ; )

 

[LuvEeyore]

I was behind...now caught up. I am sorry about Le Cellier. I might rather have the pretzel bread and cheese soup than a steak The food at the special event looked good as well. Then Kona Café. I need to go there again.

 

[jabead]

Great breakfast update!! Thank you for the insight on the beer at PFS, we will definitely put that on our must do list now

You're welcome. Hope you enjoy it!

Kona Café, only the BEST place for breakfast in the world - as long as they have those macadamia pineapple pancakes. And even better when you dine with a Diser pal. Glad you were able to meet up with DeeDee.

I missed you Brenda, as the last two times I've had breakfast there I was with you. But I was happy to have DeeDee as my dining companion.

Oops, I did know that Barb, it was a typo error, sorry. And unlike me, you did get the name right with Bob. LOL

No worries, Bob. Thanks for following along!

Even though I've done dinner at Kona a couple of times, I haven't managed to have breakfast there yet. I feel like a bad DISer for admitting that that means that I've never had tonga toast or macadamia nut pancakes, the latter of which would probably be my choice. They look so delicious in every review of them!

Oddly enough, I have a Kona breakfast menu sitting in my basement somewhere. When we went for dinner last time, I asked to look at the breakfast menu just for giggles. The hostess then told me to keep it when I went to hand it back. I didn't mention that I knew the menu pretty well from the boards.

Ahh...I wish I had a Kona breakfast menu in my basement since I failed to take a photo while I was there. Then again, if it was in my cluttered basement I would have never been able to find it when I needed it.

All of the things you photographed and described at the Party look amazing. I don't think I would even attempt anything like that, I would be way too overwhelmed. Sounds like you had a good time despite being apprehensive at first. I've heard so many good things about those pancakes at Kona I wish I'd tried them when I had breakfast there last trip. To be honest, I was so happy about the coffee I can't remember what I ordered.

Yes, the PFTS was a bit overwhelming for this first-timer. I didn't get to try everything that I had planned to when I formulated my strategy during my stint in the "pen". However, it was a learning experience and made for a good practice round for the second party I attended.

Yup, indeedy I can

Kona looks yum - never been there for brekkie as we were put off by horrifically slow and half-hearted service at dinner once....your pancake pics make me wonder a second chance is in order!!!!!

I've had pretty good luck with the service at Kona, except for one breakfast that I had there in December 2013. I haven't had dinner there since 2010, but I'm actually considering it for my next trip.

Catching back up. PFTS looks great! I did it many years ago either the first or second year of the Festival and loved the food but hated the rude patrons. Hopefully that has gotten better over the years. Those chocolates look amazing!

I love Kona breakfast and always get the macadamia nut pancakes too. Yum!

Jill in CO

Oh no, rude patrons? That's not good. Luckily I didn't experience that problem. Everyone that I shared a table with during the evening was friendly and good-mannered, thank goodness.

Your Kona pancakes look like they need a little more pineapple. Is the macadamia in the pancakes or in the butter?

Actually there are nuts in both the butter and the pancakes. Unless you have them as part of the Big Kahuna breakfast platter that is. Then you get smaller, plain pancakes and the nuts are only in the butter.

Late to the party, but following along. I love your reports!

Glad to have you here!

Mmmmmm could devour some of those pancakes right now. Think they deliver? Looks like a great dismeet. Can't wait to salivate over more ; )

Oh, me too. I wonder what the delivery charge would be for Illinois??

I was behind...now caught up. I am sorry about Le Cellier. I might rather have the pretzel bread and cheese soup than a steak The food at the special event looked good as well. Then Kona Café. I need to go there again.

I might be returning to Le Cellier on my next trip in May because my son loves it. If I do though, I might take your idea and skip the steak and just have the soup.

 

[jabead]

Following breakfast at Kona, DeeDee and I said our goodbyes and I was off to Magic Kingdom for some Fantasyland fun. My first FP+ was to meet Anna and Elsa...




I then had quite a bit of time before my next FP+, so I took a "slow boat to China" (and other Asian countries) ...





...as well as many other parts of the world. And the "around the world" boat ride was so entertaining that it seemed like only minutes before we arrived back at shore...






Still having time to kill, I decided to attend a Royal Wedding at a nearby castle...






Here are the happy bride and groom. Don't they look very excited, even animated.







Then it was time for my much-anticipated first ever ride on the...








"We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig in our mine the whole day through
To dig dig dig dig dig dig dig is what we like to do
It ain't no trick to get rich quick
If you dig dig dig with a shovel or a pick
In a mine! In a mine! In a mine! In a mine!
Where a million diamonds shine!"


I really "dig" that song. How about you?"



If you are wanting thrills and chills, this isn't the ride for you. But if you're okay with short and sweet then you will probably like this one. While it doesn't make my list of Top 5 Magic Kingdom rides, I did enjoy it.


Then guess what time it was? It was time to eat again!!



I had received an "exclusive" email inviting me to dine at this castle...





Apparently me and a couple hundred other people received that "exclusive" email.






Initially the check-in process went smoothly, just as it had the first time I had lunch here in December 2013. However, unlike that first time, they had no record of my pre-order. Not a big deal though. I placed my order and paid, got my drink from the beverage station, and found a seat in the main dining room. I had time to take a few photos of my surroundings, including this one...



Hmm, I wonder if my DH would let me get a beautiful chandelier like this for our dining room? Yea, probably not.


Anyway, it wasn't very long before my food was delivered to the table...



Carved Turkey Sandwich served warm on a Baguette with Dijon Mayonnaise and Pommes Frites




'
The turkey sandwich was good. I had been a bit hesitant regarding the mayonnaise, as I don't generally like Dijon mustard. But the Dijon mayonnaise was actually pretty tasty. As for the pommes frites, they were just regular french fries and not particularly good ones IMO.


But the star of my previous lunch and dinner at Be our Guest was again the star at this meal...


Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake
Vanilla Sponge Cake, Strawberry Mouse Filling and Cream Cheese Icing



So my opinion of Be our Guest remains rather ambiguous. While the food is not good enough to make it a must-do for me, the theming is really cool. I'm currently trying to decide if I want to try to make a lunch reservation tomorrow for my next trip.


On my way out I stopped to thank my hosts...




Later it was time to use my third and last FP+ of the day to see the Festival of Fantasy parade for the first-ever time. I went to the designated roped off area in front of the castle and found a seat near the entrance while I waited for them to open. Consequently I was one of the first people to enter the area and staked out a great spot with a straight-on view of the parade as it crossed over the bridge. The parade kicked off with the Main Street Philharmonic Band...




Here is the picture collage from the parade that I posted on Instagram...





One of things that I found most impressive was the dragon...




Talk about a case of bad breath!!


I have to say that I love this parade. It's by far the best afternoon parade I've seen. Actually the only WDW parade that I like better is the Boo to You Parade, which is held only during the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

​

Next up: Appetizers at the Old Faithful Club Lounge

 

[Adgie128]

I can't wait to catch Festival of Fantasy on my next trip!

Back to the food, though, I totally agree on the BoG ambiguity thing. My dinner there the first time was delicious, the server was great, and it just had a Wow! factor. Then, the second time I went for dinner, my food was just not good. I think I'll probably stick to lunch going forward. I think your sandwich looks really good, and the ham and cheese one I had at lunch was decent. I hope if you return, it's a hit!

 

[Wood Nymph]

So my opinion of Be our Guest remains rather ambiguous. While the food is not good enough to make it a must-do for me, the theming is really cool. I'm currently trying to decide if I want to try to make a lunch reservation tomorrow for my next trip.

My daughter wasn't interested in eating here, so we never made it over there that trip. My husband can't find anything he really likes here, so he would love to skip it every time. But I love the braised pork and my sister wants to eat there this Saturday, so I'll be trying to get that ADR tomorrow morning. I just hope the website works, but I really don't want to mess with it.

 

[ursalita]

So my opinion of Be our Guest remains rather ambiguous. While the food is not good enough to make it a must-do for me, the theming is really cool. I'm currently trying to decide if I want to try to make a lunch reservation tomorrow for my next trip.

This is my dilemma for my upcoming trip. I heard that BOG is opening up for lunch ADRs tomorrow and I'm trying to decide if I want to try to score one or just stick to LTT as I had planned. But thank you for posting your review, it will help me decide what to do.

 

[rteetz]

The mine train is definitely a fun ride and that song can get stuck in your head for a while.

I've now done BoG for lunch and dinner while I like dinner better lunch wasn't bad I could go for a grey stuff dessert every day.

The festival of fantasy parade is just fantastic I don't think it could be much better.

 

[vettegirl]

I am going to give it a try for lunch in September. Dinner forget it, not going back after our last time there. Your cupcake looks and sounds good! What are your new trip dates?

 

[goofy4prez]

Barb, nice little update... My daughter would be envious if she saw the picture of you with Anna & Elsa, we were not able to get a FP+ back in June to see them (wasn't going to stand in line for 4 hours). I couldn't believe how disappointed a 16 year old kid could be. Me on the other hand have a real issue with Elsa; Yesterday was our 12th day this year where our temperatures dipped below 0 (-11) and we are still looking at two more starting tomorrow and Friday. I wish she would lift this curse. With you being from Illinois, I'm sure you can relate to this cold spell.

Love the pictures of Beast's castle. When we had lunch there for our December trip, I was just ok with the food, but the decor of the castle was just unbelievable. Would I do it again? Yes. Perhaps we may do it again this June. As for your pictures of the Festival of Fantasy, I'm really looking forward to seeing it in person this June. I love a good parade.

 

[butiflfeet]

Great update! I've only caught part of the Festival of Fantasy parade but hopefully I'll fit it in on our next trip!

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Love Kona breakfast! Can't wait to eat there again.

Totally agree with you about 7DMT. Fun enough, but not nearly as fun as Spce or Thunder Mountain.

So glad to see your review of BOG lunch. I was just trying to decide if I wanted to get a reservation there now that they are doing ADRs for lunch. The turkey sandwich looks great so I may see what's available.

 

[LuvEeyore]

Barb,
I loved Be Our Guest...That strawberry cupcake was soooooooo goooooooooood!
I also agree with you about the Festival of Fantasy parade. It was great. Love that bad breath picture!!

 

[jabead]

I can't wait to catch Festival of Fantasy on my next trip!

Back to the food, though, I totally agree on the BoG ambiguity thing. My dinner there the first time was delicious, the server was great, and it just had a Wow! factor. Then, the second time I went for dinner, my food was just not good. I think I'll probably stick to lunch going forward. I think your sandwich looks really good, and the ham and cheese one I had at lunch was decent. I hope if you return, it's a hit!

Well, I went ahead and made a lunch ADR for Be our Guest yesterday. I'm not sure if we will keep it or cancel, but for now it's on the schedule for our May trip.

My daughter wasn't interested in eating here, so we never made it over there that trip. My husband can't find anything he really likes here, so he would love to skip it every time. But I love the braised pork and my sister wants to eat there this Saturday, so I'll be trying to get that ADR tomorrow morning. I just hope the website works, but I really don't want to mess with it.

Sounds like your trip is coming up very soon, Sue. Or perhaps you are there already? Hope you were able to get your BOG lunch ADR yesterday without too much hassle. If you did, please tell me how it was when you get back. I'm still on the fence about it for my next trip.

This is my dilemma for my upcoming trip. I heard that BOG is opening up for lunch ADRs tomorrow and I'm trying to decide if I want to try to score one or just stick to LTT as I had planned. But thank you for posting your review, it will help me decide what to do.

So what did you decide to do yesterday? Personally, if I could only choose one I would definitely go with LTT, as it is my favorite restaurant at MK for lunch. On my next trip though, we plan to spend two days at MK so are still considering BoG for lunch on our second MK day.

The mine train is definitely a fun ride and that song can get stuck in your head for a while.

I've now done BoG for lunch and dinner while I like dinner better lunch wasn't bad I could go for a grey stuff dessert every day.

The festival of fantasy parade is just fantastic I don't think it could be much better.

I've only had dinner once at BoG and that was a couple of years ago (March 2013). Again, while I loved the atmosphere, the food was just okay. So I guess I would have to say that I prefer lunch, but only because it is less expensive. Someday though I might give dinner there another try.

I am going to give it a try for lunch in September. Dinner forget it, not going back after our last time there. Your cupcake looks and sounds good! What are your new trip dates?

It seems like a lot of people have had bad dinner experiences there. Mine was not bad, but other than the atmosphere it was nothing special. Anyway, I hope you get your lunch ADR. Good luck!
Oh, and my next trip dates are from May 13th - 20th.

Barb, nice little update... My daughter would be envious if she saw the picture of you with Anna & Elsa, we were not able to get a FP+ back in June to see them (wasn't going to stand in line for 4 hours). I couldn't believe how disappointed a 16 year old kid could be. Me on the other hand have a real issue with Elsa; Yesterday was our 12th day this year where our temperatures dipped below 0 (-11) and we are still looking at two more starting tomorrow and Friday. I wish she would lift this curse. With you being from Illinois, I'm sure you can relate to this cold spell.

Love the pictures of Beast's castle. When we had lunch there for our December trip, I was just ok with the food, but the decor of the castle was just unbelievable. Would I do it again? Yes. Perhaps we may do it again this June. As for your pictures of the Festival of Fantasy, I'm really looking forward to seeing it in person this June. I love a good parade.

I hear ya, Bob! I am soooo ready for Spring. I keep telling my DH that when we retire we need to become snowbirds and spend our winters somewhere warm...like Florida, for instance.

Great update! I've only caught part of the Festival of Fantasy parade but hopefully I'll fit it in on our next trip!

Oh yes, you should definitely plan to see FOF in its entirety. I've never been a big fan of parades generally, but Festival of Fantasy is now on my must-do every trip list.

Love Kona breakfast! Can't wait to eat there again.

Totally agree with you about 7DMT. Fun enough, but not nearly as fun as Spce or Thunder Mountain.

So glad to see your review of BOG lunch. I was just trying to decide if I wanted to get a reservation there now that they are doing ADRs for lunch. The turkey sandwich looks great so I may see what's available.

Do you have a trip coming up soon, Rachel? If so, did you make a BoG lunch reservation yesterday? I made one for my next trip in May but am still unsure about it.

Barb,
I loved Be Our Guest...That strawberry cupcake was soooooooo goooooooooood!
I also agree with you about the Festival of Fantasy parade. It was great. Love that bad breath picture!!

I kind of wish they had a separate Be our Guest bakery where I could get my strawberry cupcake fix without the hassles of getting an ADR, etc.

 

[LuvEeyore]

I kind of wish they had a separate Be our Guest bakery where I could get my strawberry cupcake fix without the hassles of getting an ADR, etc. [/QUOTE]
This is a great idea!! Okay Disney...step up to the plate.

 

[jabead]

OLD FAITHFUL CLUB LOUNGE - PART I

After the parade at Magic Kingdom I headed back to the Wilderness Lodge, as tonight was my one night Club Level stay there. I had taken advantage of a great Bounce Back rate and booked this during my one night CL stay here in April. My room then had a good view of Magic Kingdom and the fireworks so when I received the pre-trip email from the CL staff asking if they could do anything for me, I requested to have that room again or a room nearby with a Magic Kingdom view. My request was granted, for the most part anyway. While I was not assigned the same room, my room this time was just a few doors down so still had a good view. However, it was a Handicapped Accessible room so the setup was a little different. The room itself seemed pretty much the same, only with a king size bed...





However the bathroom was completely different. It was much bigger and had a lot of empty floor space to make room to maneuver a wheel chair I suppose. The counter and sink were inside of the bathroom instead of outside, like in the regular rooms...




None of this was a problem for me, however I was disappointed to see that there was only a walk-in shower and no bath tub...




This was my only night during the two week trip that I had planned to spend relaxing in my room. And part of that relaxation plan included taking a long, hot bubble bath. But I was told that this was the only room available that night with a Magic Kingdom view, so I sacrificed my bath for the ability to see the fireworks from my balcony.


Anyway, soon it was 5:00 and time to check out the wine and appetizers at the Old Faithful Club Lounge.








Here is some of what I found in the lounge that night, beginning with the wine and other beverages.


They had three wines, two reds (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon) and one white (Chardonnay)...







These were the exact same wines that they had when I was here in April.


They also had four different beers, three types of soda, and juice boxes in the refrigerator case...





Other non-alcoholic options included water, cranberry lemonade, unsweetened tea, and 2% milk...




Now on to the food, starting with the cold offerings...




Veggies and Ranch Dip (which didn't make it into the picture)


There was also Smoked Gouda Cheese Dip and Red Pepper Hummus...




Artist Point's delicious Sourdough Bread...




...and assorted Crackers.





A Fruit and Cheese board...





...and Peanut Butter & Jelly Shooters.




All of those cold offerings seemed to be almost exactly the same as last time. One minor change was the salad that was offered. Last time it was Sesame Chicken, but this time it was identified as only Summer Salad and looked like this...




On the other hand, the next three offerings were completely different than last time.



Smoked Hen Pot Pie





Tomato Caprese Salad




And a close-up view...







Scallops wrapped in Bacon


And a close-up view of those...




Since I had dinner plans, I tried not to go overboard with the appetizers...



On my plate were fruit, cheese, a cracker, and my favorite thing...three of the bacon-wrapped scallops. Yum!


I'll later be reviewing the Old Faithful Club's dessert offerings and their Continental Breakfast but before that comes dinner at one of my favorite Disney World restaurants...or at least it was. ​

 

[LuvEeyore]

After that spread, who needs dinner. The bacon wrapped scallops look so good.(That being said by someone allergic to pork!!)