No Longer coming to you Live from Disney World! Take 3 DDW'S TAMBU LOUNGE 8/6

[jabead]

Might I suggest the end of April/Beginning of May if you can't?!??

When are your April/May dates again, Paula? My birthday is April 27th and I just checked the flights from our local airport to Orlando and discovered I could fly out on my birthday and return a week later for only $218 RT. So very tempting!!!

Someone say slushie meet in October?

I like slushies.

We will see you there then, Patty!

 

[smile4stamps]

When are your April/May dates again, Paula? My birthday is April 27th and I just checked the flights from our local airport to Orlando and discovered I could fly out on my birthday and return a week later for only $218 RT. So very tempting!!! We will see you there then, Patty!

We are there for 2 weeks 4/23-5/7.. 5/1 is our 10yr anniversary!

 

[jedijill]

Mmm, YSH is one of my favorites. Sorry you guys had service issues and missed dessert.

I wish I could have made it down for the meets...you guys looked like you had so much fun!

Jill in CO

 

[Couchy]

I guess it's my turn for YSH. Here goes....

I ordered a dry Hendrick's martini but as Patty mentioned they dirtied mine so the first one went back

this pic is recycled from a previous meal


I started with the Epcot Land salad and it was delicious. The flavors worked well together

I had the filet with mashed potatoes. I asked to sub out the mashed potatoes for veggies but was told I could not.
The filet was cooked perfectly


I also had a wine flight. It was a nice mix of wines and I enjoyed them with the steak.
Unfortunately this dinner took a long time and we did not have time for dessert because we were going on the Illumination Cruise

As everyone else said, the food was fantastic but our server was a bit overwhelmed. It was a nice dinner though and I had a great time chatting with everyone

 

[Linda67]

So what better way to cap off a great evening? - yep fireworks!

But not just any old fireworks, we were going BIG, yep, Illuminations Reflections Of Earth with the Holiday tag, all from the comfort of our personal pontoon boat

You can probably tell that I was more than a little excited at this prospect. We’ve always wanted to do a fireworks cruise but have never really felt we could justify the expense, but now we had a group of new friends to split the cost with

We headed out of YSH and took the short walk down to the boat dock to check in for our cruise.

We had two boats, one in my name and one in Brenda’s so we both took care of business and met our captains for the evening. I can’t remember if I used my AP or my DVC membership for a discount but from what I remember the discounts for each were exactly the same

Hunter had made some awesome chocolate truffles for everyone and proceeded to pass them around. What a thoughtful thing to do



Even our captains indulged in the sweet treats - and who can blame them!



Everyone was in fine form and having a blast. Em seems to be having a bit of a boogie here





Note truffle in hand!!



The ladies in red!

Now it was time to board our vessels for the night and as one of the boats was reserved in my name, our anniversary celebration that had been noted on our ADR had somehow fed through the cruise reservation and our boat was decorated with anniversary balloons!



Barb, Beth, Paula and Hunter were our ship mates for the evening



I think Beth may be counting the cash to bribe Hunter for his truffle recipe here!

Needless to say, the cruise was just wonderful, our captain took us on a great little tour on the water, all the way over to the studios and back and got us parked up under the bridge in the UK in perfect time for the start of the fireworks. Brenda, Em, Vicki and Rob were right next to us in their boat

I did take a few photos of the fireworks from the boat but in the end just thought, nah, just sit back and enjoy

The holiday tag is spectacular, the sky was absolutely full of colorful and booming explosions. You could literally ‘feel’ it as was well as having a visual extravaganza. What a great moment!

This really was worth every penny to me and is a lovely memory from our vacation

I’ll leave you with a group shot when we got back to the dock

 

[wilma-bride]

I have done two Illuminations cruises previously (once shared with other DISers and one with just our family) and couldn't agree with you more - worth every single penny (or cent) Lovely picture of you and Philip and the group shot is also fab

 

[SilentK]

Thanks for another great review. I went to YSH the same week, we had a different server but also waited an age for drinks. Interesting about not being able to change the mash in the Filet, I was able to swap it for Truffle Fries. Maybe they're OK with potato for potato?! Jealous of the Christmas cocktail, sounds amazing.

 

[jabead]

I had never before been on either the Epcot or MK fireworks cruises. It was something that has long been on my DISNEY WORLD WISH LIST though, so when this opportunity was made available to me I happily jumped on board!

First I want to again thank Hunter for sharing his wonderful truffles with us during our cruise. Your timing was perfect since we were all forced to miss out on dessert at YSH.

I want to also thank Linda for suggesting this DISmeet cruise and for reserving the boat for us. You are awesome!

During the cruise I took some photos with my iPhone but unfortunately most of them came out too dark to post. A couple of the fireworks pics came out okay though, so I will go ahead and post these so that you can see the wonderful unobstructed view that we had from the boat.









My photos in no way do this view justice...hopefully others got and will post better ones. I have seen Illuminations a bazillion times before, but the bazillionth + 1 time will be one that I will forever remember.


One more thing to add...after our cruise, Paula & Hunter, Beth and I went to the Crew's Cup Lounge for a night cap. So of course I didn't pass up the chance to have another...



Santa's Little Helper


So between this and Hunter's lovely truffles, my sweet tooth was satisfied that night. All was right with the World again!
​

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I am ashamed to say that I only took one picture before/during/after the Cruise. This lovely one of Linda & Phillip -



I absolutely loved every minute of I though. The fireworks were simply amazing and the company just wonderful.

I believe Brenda took several pics of everyone on the boats and I am hoping she will share with us!

 

[emmysmommy]

And yes Vicki.... I have a few photos from the cruise that I can share.

This was the second Illuminations cruise that Em and I had done... the first was last August after our first attempt to do the cruise with Vicki and Mr. DDW was cancelled due to weather - so Em and I rebooked.

This was a lot of fun with this group of Disers!

Paula and Hunter looking particularly happy

Linda and Philip

Brenda and Vicki

Group photo

Vicki and Em

The Anniversary Party Boat with Linda, Philip, Paula, Hunter, Barb, and Beth

The second boat was Vicki, Rob (Disneykid4life), Em and me.

Vicki, Em and Brenda

Rob and Brenda

Illuminations:

Thank you to Hunter for the home-made candy that he made and shared with the group.

This was definitely a highlight of the trip!

​

 

[rachel09985]

So that is who got my truffle! The captain

Haha, just kidding!

Loved the boat pictures too! Made me sad I chose to sit out

Oh crap I planned on not renewing my annual pass but I can't not go when you all are going to be there!

 

[marshallsmommy]

Looks like a fun night! I remember it being fairly chilly that night, we were in DTD eating and the boat ride back to POFQ was breezy on the water. The pictures make me sad that in our 13 nights on property we never stayed for Illuminations! another thing for our couples trip in October! I am also Really bummed I didn't see that drink on a menu it looks yummy but then again so do Brenda's piña coladas.

 

[smile4stamps]

So that is who got my truffle! The captain

Haha, just kidding!

Loved the boat pictures too! Made me sad I chose to sit out

Oh crap I planned on not renewing my annual pass but I can't not go when you all are going to be there!

Yes, actually it was the captains that had your truffles... That and in the Florida humidity they were getting difficult to keep fresh so we just wanted people to enjoy them! I'm sorry you weren't there to enjoy some.

I think a lot of us are going at various times in April/May and then September/October. At no point do we all overlap again. I think that takes expecit planning to get the overlap!

Looks like a fun night! I remember it being fairly chilly that night, we were in DTD eating and the boat ride back to POFQ was breezy on the water. The pictures make me sad that in our 13 nights on property we never stayed for Illuminations! another thing for our couples trip in October! I am also Really bummed I didn't see that drink on a menu it looks yummy but then again so do Brenda's piña coladas.

I don't remember it being chilly but then again I had.. Santa's Little Helper, at least a half bottle of wine, probably a rum and diet on the boat... Alcohol can make me very toasty so I don't think I was feeling it! But they did have wonderful blankets on the boat for anyone that may have been chilly!

 

[smile4stamps]

Hello everyone! When the topic of the Illuminations cruise came up I knew it was something we would do. I figured it was the only time to make it work for us financially!

Here is Hunter and I on the boat...

Oh no! Flash!

I think Barb might have taken this one?!?

The beautiful Boardwalk.

Time for Illuminations!

AS Barb mentioned above we went to the Crew Cup Lounge after the Cruise..

Unfortunately we did not get a pic of anything we drank or any pics while Barb was still there.

We did get a few with Beth, Hunter and myself.

Overall a very FUN evening!!

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Illuminations Cruise looks like so much fun!

Very much enjoying all the Dining Reviews too.

 

[Couchy]

Illuminations Cruise

... was fantastic. I did not get many pics because my iphone doesn't take great pics especially in the dark.

I thought is was great being on the water and the view of Illuminations was fantastic. Our captain was very personable as well.

Here is a group shot


Barb, Paula , Hunter and I went to the Crew Cup Lounge after the cruise where my favorite WDW bartender Bill made me my favorite drink. My DH and I have spent many a meal and drink chatting with Bill over the past few years.

 

[rachel09985]

Paula those pictures with you guys at the Crew Cups lounge crack me up

 

[jabead]

And that concludes our reviews from Day 3 – Saturday, Dec. 7th. The next day brought with it some changes to our team of dining reporters. Sadly, we had to say our goodbyes to Beth, but fortunately it was only for a few days. Beth will again be appearing (& reviewing) in our dining report later in the week, as she returned to Disney World on Thursday…this time bringing her DH Wil with her. Even more good news was that DeeDee (buzz1121) and her family arrived at Disney World and beginning with our Sunday reviews she will be part of our reporting team. Welcome DeeDee!

Day 4 was another food-filled day for our group. Our 8 reporters will be sharing with you reviews from their 4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 2 dinners. So find a good viewing spot, grab yourself a snack , and sit back and watch our Disney food parade.


Coming up next: Breakfast at Kona Cafe

 

[jabead]

I began my day by packing up and checking out of the Yacht Club, as I was staying across the lake at the Boardwalk Inn for the next two nights. I entrusted my bags to a bell man for the transfer and took a cab to the Polynesian, the home of my favorite breakfast location on Disney property…




Waiting by the entrance to the restaurant, I found my four dining companions for this breakfast, Brenda & Em and Paula & Hunter. At one time we were to have as many as 11 people attending this meal, but for various reasons our number had dwindled and we were down to only us die-hard Kona breakfast fans. Oh, plus Hunter, who was probably only there to please his wife. (So thank you Hunter for humoring Paula and her DIS friends by joining us at Kona Café that morning for breakfast.)

Anyway, as we were standing there waiting for a table for 5 to become available, a woman approached me to ask if I was Barb from the DISboards. This woman turned out to be DeeDee (buzz1121). She and her family had just finished their breakfast, so DeeDee’s first review will also be from Kona.



We were then seated and presented with this menu…








However, there was no need for me to look at it because I already knew exactly what I would order here…




Macadamia-Pineapple Pancakes with Macadamia Nut Butter, Pineapple Sauce, and your choice of Ham, Bacon, or Sausage (I chose sausage)



Now I have tried other breakfast entrées at Kona Café (including the very popular Tonga Toast), but once I had tasted these delicious pancakes I have never since gone astray. Though I have never been a big fan of macadamia nuts, there is something about the combination of the nuts, pancake, and pineapple that works perfectly for me. And while I have tried the version of these that is served as part of the Big Kahuna platter (plain pancakes with macadamia nut butter and pineapple on top), I much prefer the real deal in all its nut-filled glory.

But be forewarned, if you have never had these before…they are very rich and extremely filling!!! I have known of only one person who has been able to eat an entire order of these pancakes…and has lived to tell about it on the live thread. And I just so happen to be in the company of that remarkable person on this very morning, but I’ll leave you guessing as to which one it was.


Photographic evidence...




But I digress, so let me wrap this up by saying that the pancakes and the accompanying sausage were awesome as always. Unfortunately our server here was not so awesome. However, for those pancakes I would be willing to don an apron and serve myself…which is what we almost had to do.


Well that’s it from me, except for a photo of my lovely (& handsome) dining companions…







And then one with me in the pic too…






Coming soon: More Kona reviews from Brenda, Paula, and DeeDee​

 

[JulieODC]

What a fun looking cruise!!

We discovered the Crew Cup Lounge when we stayed at YC last Nov and really liked it!!