Photobombs & Premium Bars: A DxDP DR Where the Prince's Eat the World! *COMPLETE*

[mossyflossy]

Oh my, what a fabulous start!

Congratulations to your parents, what an inspiration!

Another one who doesn't get the "bad press" of WPC: we've only ever had great meals here, and I think the dessert selections are some of the best selections on property

As for kona, another firm favourite, only now I have seen a pic of those strawberry shooters that will have to be added to the Lapu Lapu, I'm going to be very very merry that day

keep up the good work!

 

[elyse43230]

So before I get started, thanks so much for everyone's nice comments about my parents and about my reviews!

On with the food!

Yak & Yeti (L)​

Animal Kingdom​

Let me start out by saying, I love this restaurant! I've eaten here for lunch for so many of my trips to WDW, that it seems like a crime not to stop by when touring AK. Once again, we had a great time!

We started our meal with the famous Yak Attack! This is one of the best drinks I had this trip! Fruity, frozen, swirly colors? What's not to like? Mom and Dad enjoyed one too!

DSCF2201 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Appetizers​

Mom, Dad, and Bro all ordered the pot stickers! This didn't surprise me, because it's a favorite food item in my family. Dad and Bro polished their plates! Mom was good and only nibbled to save room! These are good pot stickers but my brother liked Kona's better.
Pork Pot Stickers - pan seared or steamed, soy lime dipping sauce $8.99

Yak00 by elyse43230, on Flickr

I got the chicken wings. Just AWESOME! I loved these so much! Crispy outside, flavorful, spicy sauce. Tender chicken. OMG I wish I had some of these right now! I kept eating one and then saying "Just one more" and ate almost them all! I think I found my go-to app here at Yak & Yeti!
Thai Chili Chicken Wings - fried chicken wings tossed in a sweet Thai chili sauce, spicy Asian pickled cucumbers $9.49

Yak01 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Entrees​

Dad got the steak and shrimp. He really enjoyed this! He said the steak was cooked well and he ate almost all of it!
Shaoxing Steak and Shrimp - skirt steak, tempura-battered shrimp, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables, chili plum dipping sauce $26.99

Yak02 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Mom got the tempura shrimp. I personally think the coating on these are a little thick, so these are just okay to me. I think it's fun to eat them off the sticks though!
Tempura Shrimp - chili plum sauce, coconut-ginger rice, stir fried vegetables $19.99

Yak03 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Bro got the chicken lo mein! I had a bite of this, and I thought it was great! Wonderful flavor. I had read some reviews that this had too much vegetable and not enough noodle, but I think this was better than lo meins I've had at take-out places! I kind of wished I'd ordered this!
Lo Mein - Lo Mein noodles, carrots, cabbage, green onions, bean sprouts; Chicken $18.99; Shrimp $19.99; Combo $19.99

Yak04 by elyse43230, on Flickr

I ordered the duck. I had wanted to try this just to say I did (because it was a specialty and I'd read some good reviews on these boards). I won't order this a second time. The meat was just too dry. The glaze was okay, but didn't make up for the texture of the meat.
Duck with Anandapur Glaze - roasted half duckling, orange wasabi glaze, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables $24.99

Yak05 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Desserts​

Dad ordered the sorbets. He loves fruit sorbets so he enjoyed this a lot. Mango was his favorite.
Sorbet - Mango, lemon, raspberry $6.99

Yak06 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Bro ordered the cheesecake!
New York Cheesecake - New York cheesecake, mango and strawberry coulis, and fresh whipped cream $6.99

Yak08 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Mom and I ordered the FRIED WONTONS. I am not going to lie, this is probably THE reason I keep coming back to Yak & Yeti. When these babies arrive at my table, the angels sing! One my favorite desserts (it not my favorite). I ALWAYS clean my plate. Just wonderful. Wontons are creamy inside and crispy outside. The filling is not sweet, so you dip in the honey sauce and add a bit of strawberry or pineapple and that is a bite of heaven! YUM!
Fried Wontons - Skewers of fresh pineapple and cream cheese wontons, vanilla ice cream, honey vanilla drizzle $8.99

Yak07 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Another wonderful meal from Yak & Yeti.

A little tip: Get a reservation around 2:30 and then walk outside and watch the 3:45 parade post-meal!

 

[elyse43230]

Time for a fun snack!

I was determined to try to Jungle Juice at AK! This is at the Harambe Popcorn cart in the Harambe village area. This is a fun way to beat the heat! I enjoyed it a lot, and I think it's a fun use of a snack credit at AK. I would take this over those overated cupcake at Kusifiri anyday!


AKJungleJuice by elyse43230, on Flickr

 

[darnheather]

OMG yum yum yum!

 

[wilma-bride]

Great review of Yak and Yeti, although I suspect that your Bro did not get the mango pie. That is most definitely the cheesecake

How spicy were the wings, on a scale of 1 to 5? They look amazing and my DS is a big fan of wings but not so much a fan of really spicy food.

Yak and Yeti gets some consistently good reviews and I, for one, can't wait to eat there in November.

 

[elyse43230]

Great review of Yak and Yeti, although I suspect that your Bro did not get the mango pie. That is most definitely the cheesecake

How spicy were the wings, on a scale of 1 to 5? They look amazing and my DS is a big fan of wings but not so much a fan of really spicy food.

Yak and Yeti gets some consistently good reviews and I, for one, can't wait to eat there in November.

Thanks for noticing that! It's so hard to keep track of what everyone ordered! I corrected it on the post!

As far as the wings go, I would call them between a 1 and 2 (1.5!). They were sweet and spicy so the sweet really makes these not that spicy.

 

[elyse43230]

So I promise I will get to Victoria and Albert's soon! I'm attempting to get a hold of Mom and Dad's menu, and then I can figure out what they ate. But I do have pictures of what they ate there so stay tuned!

In the meantime, let's head over to Downtown Disney!

Cooke's of Dublin (D)​

Downtown Disney​

While Mom and Dad went to Victoria and Albert's for their OFFICIAL 40th Anniversary dinner, Bro and I hopped on a boat to DTD. We wanted to get a quick bite, do a little shopping, and then head back to the room for some R&R. I let Bro choose the restaurant and he chose, Cooke's of Dublin!

I ordered the chicken Caesar salad wrap. Now I know that is a lame choice, considering all of their fried delectables here, but I just wasn't in the mood for a plate of fried food, so I went for this fresher option. It was very good! I liked that the chicken was warm, the wrap was fresh, and it had just the right amount of dressing. You can tell they didn't just pull this out of the fridge.
Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap - Char grilled chicken breast with caesar salad in a whole wheat wrap $10.95

Dublin02 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Bro ordered the fried chicken tenders option. Of course these were good! Their fry batter is as good as it looks. He actually wondered later why he didn't get the fried fish or fried sausage, but still was happy with this!
Battered Chicken Tenders $9.95

Dublin00 by elyse43230, on Flickr

AWESOME SNACK CREDIT OPTION ALERT!
Bro saw the dips on the menu and wanted to try one. He was willing to pay out of pocket, but the CM said we could use a snack to pay for it! SCORE! I did not try this, so I can't review, but he dipped his chips and his chicken in this and seemed happy. (I don't eat bacon. I know, right?)
Irish Vintage Cheese and Bacon Dip $4.00

Dublin01 by elyse43230, on Flickr

For dessert we both chose the chocolate chip cookie. These are baked in house (the chocolate was still melty!) so these were good! I must say I was a little disappointed that you couldn't get their yummy looking options in their dessert case. You could have fruit, ice cream or cookie with the meal plan. But they had these gorgeous looking rolls and things on display! But alas, they were off the plan. Kind of dumb, I think!
Cooke's Fresh Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie $1.95

Dublin03 by elyse43230, on Flickr

This being our only quick service meal the whole trip, it was a pretty great meal! I would definitely go back here again if I wanted a quick bite at DTD!

 

[elyse43230]

While Bro and I were at DTD, we stopped by Goofy's Candy Co. to use up some snack credits. Anyone on the meal plan knows that this is a great place to get some great treats!

I love Disney's cake pops, so I had to get one. And when I saw this Monster's University one, I had to get it even more! These are definitely in the style of the "cake pop" that is more moist and thick than cake. They're just like the ones at Starbucks, if you've had those!
Chocolate Cake Pop (Mike Wazowski style!)

Goofy00 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Bro and I built our own treats. This is a must do! On the meal plan, you get one dip, one topping, and one swizzle on the top (with a few options for the treat itself). I chose a rice crispy treat dipped in milk chocolate, mini M&Ms, and dark chocolate swizzle! I ate this steadily throughout the whole trip!

Goofy01 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Bro got a rice crispy treat dipped in milk chocolate, peanut butter chips, and white chocolate swizzle.

Goofy03 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Bro also got a piece of cookies and cream fudge. And, that little bugger ate the whole thing before I could try it! But obviously he liked it!

Goofy02 by elyse43230, on Flickr

And since I'm thinking about that Mike Wazowski eyeball cake pop, go see Monsters University! I loved, loved, loved it. It is LOL funny and has tons of heart. It's not just an Animal House meets Monsters, Inc movie like they make it out in the previews!

 

[kcool]

I am enjoying reading your reviews! Congrats to your parents on 40 years!

 

[angelsmith52]

enjoying your report! That carrot cake from WPE looks so fantastic!

 

[elyse43230]

While Bro and I went to DTD to eat (see previous post), my parents went to the Grand Floridian for the official 40th Wedding Anniversary dinner at Victoria and Albert's!

Victoria and Albert's (Part 1)​

Grand Floridian​

Mom and Dad had an incredible experience at Victoria and Albert's. I instructed my parents to take the bus to MK and then get the monorail to GF. No problem, right? WRONG! Of course the monorails were down because of lightening! Apparently, my parents panicked, because their reservation at V&A was minutes away, they were all dressed up, and the nearby castmember said they were backed up 3 busses to the GF. Well, my mom went up to a CM and asked how they could get to their reservation in time! And wouldn't you know it, the pixie dust flew! The CM called on his walkie and a bus took my parents (alone, just for them!) to the GF!

When they arrived, they were of course greeted right inside. They said they had 4 waiters and everyone treated them like royalty. My parents were placed right by the harpist. The harpist made conversation with them and played music from the 60's and 70's! She did a medley of Beatles, the Moody Blues, and they loved it so much! Needless to say, they loved all the food! Both of them say it was the best meal of their LIFE! Below are the food they chose.

The only pics that are missing are the amuse bouche and the bread courses!

Course 1

Mom had the duck. "The roasted duck was deliciously tender and the depth of flavor could not be described!"
Roasted Duck with Mango Vinaigrette and Lavosh

VA00 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Dad had the Octopus "A La Plancha" with Black Garlic Aioli

VA01 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Course 2

Mom had the halibut. She said, "I've been a lover of halibut for many years, and the yellow tomato bouillon had such a delicate flavor it perfectly paired with the fish."
Alaskan Halibut with Yellow Tomato Bouillon and Almonds

VA02 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Dad had the scallop. Masago Crusted Diver Scallop with Coconut-Curry Sauce

VA03 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Course 3
Mom had the Veal Tenderloin and Cheek with Petite Celery

VA04 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Dad had the Holland White Asparagus with Beurre Noisette

VA05 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Course 4

Mom had the Poulet Rouge with Hen of the Woods Mushrooms and Gnocchi

VA06 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Dad had the Onion Ash Crusted Niman Ranch Lamb with Sauce Soubise and Ramps

VA07 by elyse43230, on Flickr

 

[elyse43230]

Victoria and Albert's (Part 2)​

Palette Cleanser Course

Mom had the Sottocenere Al Tartufo, Parmigiano Reggiano, Colston Bassett Stilton, Gouda Reypenaer XO

VA08 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Dad had the White Chocolate Gelato with Tableside Shavings

VA09 by elyse43230, on Flickr

The head waiter said that this was a German invention given to Queen Victoria. It used hydraulics to pull the water from the bottom chamber to the top. Then when you take the heat away, it came back to the lower.
Coffee

VA10 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Dessert Course

Mom had the Caramelized Banana Gateau

VA11 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Dad had the Meyer Lemon and Blood Orange Purse with Blackberry-Violet Sherbet

VA12 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Post-meal Candies

VA13 by elyse43230, on Flickr

 

[sheila <3 WDW]

Great reviews. I would love to try V&A someday. Maybe in a few years when my youngest is old enough for the kids club....

 

[gardengirl628]

Loving your reviews! You picture of the Lapu Lapu made me change one of my reservations. We love Kona, but thought about trying something new this trip (Chefs de France). Can't do it, though! A WDW vacation is not complete without the Lapu Lapu!!!!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Really enjoying your report! I will be staying at OKW for the first time this October, so it's great to hear such positive feedback about the resort. I will definitely be trying a Turtle Krawl!

I have had a couple of great experience at WPC, but I had one bad experience that was so bad it's turned me off of it for a few years. However, after seeing your carrot cake pic I may have to make a stop there just for the cake. I forgot how awesome that cake was. Definitely the best carrot cake I've ever tried.

I had myself fully convinced not to visit Kona Cafe for dinner this trip, but your review has me changing my mind. The fried rock shrimp looks delicious and that trio of Godiva liquers looks too good to pass up. Thanks for the great pics!

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[Buntington]

Joining in--it all looks delicious! I'd love to eat at Victoria and Albert's for an anniversary someday. And white chocolate gelato--OMG!

 

[ChrissyBeth29]

I'm in! Love your reviews thus far. Those shooters from Kona look AWESOME! That's a definite next time I'm there!

 

[jedijill]

Great start! Love all the review so far...especially V&A!

Jill in CO

 

[vinotinto]

So WGP Cafe doesn't get a lot of love here on the boards. And I am totally baffled as to why! I have gone to WGP Cafe for my last 3 trips and EVERY time we have had a fabulous meal. In fact, it is usually at the top of our list of great restaurants! So if you have easy access to DTD like us and want a table service, give WGP Cafe a try!

Our server was nice but it was a slow service.

This was exactly our experience. GREAT food. I wanted to go back during the same trip. But, it did take a while to have lunch here. We will definitely go back!

 

[elyse43230]

Thanks to everyone for reading this far and the wonderful comments!

Cinderella's Royal Table (B)​

Okay, let's be honest. Does anyone actually got to CRT for the food? NO! You go for the princesses and being in that freakin's beautiful castle! Eating in the castle is amazing. I love it! Get an ADR before 9am and you've got a walk down Mainstreet free of crowds. It's MAGICAL!

This trip to CRT was no different. I think it's so fun when they announce each princess when they come out (Snow White, Jasmine, Ariel, and Aurora came around this trip) and then they do the wishing part when the kids wish on their wishing stars and the lights twinkle.

First they bring out a bread/pastry platter. I enjoyed the banana nut bread in the center the best (but I like banana nut bread!). The danishes were just okay.

CRT00 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Dad and Bro both had the traditional breakfast. They both ate it but it's pretty run of the mill!
Traditional Breakfast - scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, and rosemary-lemon roasted potatoes

CRT01 by elyse43230, on Flickr

Mom chose the lobster and crab crepe. She got the Hollandaise sauce on the side, because she doesn't like Hollandaise. I think that made this kinda boring and again, not terrible but not amazing.
Lobster and Crab Crepes - warm cheese-filled crepes topped with spinach, sauteed lobster, and blue crab meat with a poached egg perched on top and draped in Hollandaise sauce

CRT02 by elyse43230, on Flickr

I chose the stuffed french toast. I kinda liked it! It didn't have enough cream cheese filling really. I had a few bites that had the filling and it was like YUM but then the rest was just okay.
Cream Cheese-stuffed French Toast - drizzled with Cognac chocolate ganache served with bacon and fresh fruit

CRT03 by elyse43230, on Flickr

So is the food amazing here, no. But is it a nice breakfast? Yes. And is the atmosphere and experience worth every penny? YES! I carried around my magic wand they give you that whole morning waving it around. I'm such a kid at WDW!

And here's the Prince clan with a little Photopass magic!

Photo0005FourBySix by elyse43230, on Flickr