PTR-Cheating on Mickey w/Harry!...OMG! Only a month to go!

[franandaj]

So I'm sitting in the Naples Ristorante in DTD sipping a glass of Orvieto, and enjoying a Margherita pizza. It's very good. These are the same people who run Via Napoli in Epcot. If this is what their pizzas are like, I will enjoy eating there in May!

My massage is in 2 hours so once I finish here, I'll go check in at the spa, change into my bathing suit and go hang out by the pool!

 

[dgbg100106]

So I'm sitting in the Naples Ristorante in DTD sipping a glass of Orvieto, and enjoying a Margherita pizza. It's very good. These are the same people who run Via Napoli in Epcot. If this is what their pizzas are like, I will enjoy eating there in May!

My massage is in 2 hours so once I finish here, I'll go check in at the spa, change into my bathing suit and go hang out by the pool!

Alison, that sound lovely. Got a picture for us?

 

[franandaj]

Alison, that sound lovely. Got a picture for us?

I've taken pictures on my camera, but I haven't mastered pictures on the DIS from my phone! I don't even know how to copy and paste!

It's a beautiful day, I just stepped in the pool to cool off and ordered a Chardonnay from the poolside server.

 

[dgbg100106]

I've taken pictures on my camera, but I haven't mastered pictures on the DIS from my phone! I don't even know how to copy and paste!

It's a beautiful day, I just stepped in the pool to cool off and ordered a Chardonnay from the poolside server.

Alison, do you have a smartphone?

If so there is an app called photobucket you can add to your phone.

Just use that app to upload your pictures and it will give you the link code to add to your post.

If you need help I am here....

 

[franandaj]

Hey look! This is my first picture posted from my phone to the DIS! Wow! I am now unleashed! This was me this afternoon!

 

[franandaj]

When I got my smartphone, photobucket didn't support the Windows phone (it was brand new), I had to google copying and pasting on the Windows phone and since I've been updating the software constantly I can do it from my phone. Fran hasn't been able to get her phone to sync up with her computer so she hasn't updated it. I'll need to figure it out for her and do it so her phone can have the updates.

 

[franandaj]

So let’s do a little F&W planning again. We left off with Friday night, where we will likely have watched Illuminations in a Dessert Coma. Saturday morning we’ll wake up, have a light breakfast in the room and figure out what to do until the F&W Festival opens at 11AM. Most likely we’ll be sitting in the Villa on our computers until about 10:45 and then we’ll rush over there.

At 2:30PM in the Bistro de Paris we have a Grand Mariner Tasting. I am still awaiting the call explaining the cancellation of the Cat Cora dinner, but from what I read, it is inevitable. I’ve made an ADR for 8PM at Raglan Road, since I hear that one should avoid Saturday nights in Epcot during F&W. So we’ll have about three hours to nosh before the Grand Mariner Tasting. It will probably be a good idea to eat up some savories so that I have something in my tummy when they start pouring the Grand Mariner. I hear you get about five shots.

So I’ve heard mixed reviews on the Coq au Vin with Mac and Cheese, we may go right past this one and on to Morocco where I have heard some GREAT reports.

We had the Beef Kefta two years ago and it was really good.

I heard some really good things about this Harissa Chicken Roll, it was described as “as Egg Roll on crack”, and of course, if we’re waiting in line, I’ll have them throw in a piece of Baklava!

And then right across the way is Singapore. I’ve been dying to try this Shrimp Cake on a skewer

I’m not into coconut, so I will be skipping the beef dish, but Fran may want to try it.

Japan is also close by and I love sushi so I will definitely be having one of the Spicy Tuna Rolls. Fran doesn’t eat raw fish because her RA drugs suppress her immune system and she doesn’t want to tempt fate, so this will be all mine.

But since it is cooked Fran will be helping me with California Sushi Roll

If this didn’t have salmon, I would be trying the Tuna and Salmon Sensation, this pic is from last year when it was just the Tuna sensation

The Pork Kakuni is new and I haven’t seen any pictures yet. I’m sure I will try one each of the Sake: Itami Onigoroshi and Sake: Junmai Ginjo Masumi. Fran might like the Tokyo Sunset

At this point, we may or may not be full, but assuming that we are not our next stop would be the Hops & Barley. Neither of these items have received wide acclaim, people have seemed to have had higher expectations for both the Linda Bean’s Lobster Claw Cuddler with drawn Butter, Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Roll

Now I don’t have a picture fo the Pumpkin Mousse with Ocean Spray Craisins and Orange Sauce, but I’ve heard some incredible reviews. There are lots of beers here and I’m not a huge beer fan, but I do like it, so we’ll see what end up trying to go with these things. There are lots of choices, so we’ll get a few.

So if we get through all this stuff, we will definitely be full and will need to stop because we have the Grand Mariner tasting at 2:30PM. I’ve taken these pics from Tinkerbelle325 (as well as a few others), she went last year and between her and DIS_Yoda I pretty much decided to change our plans so that we were at BCV on the weekend so that we could go back to the room and crash after this!

So here is the Taste, Shake and Indulge like the French living vicariously. Evidently this is your set up

They start you off with a Mimosa sort of drink

I don’t remember what the desserts are exactly, but I know madelines and Crepes Suzette are involved plus one more

They give you three tastes of Grand Mariner, the current, the 100 and 150. Now I have a little background on Grand Mariner. A friend of mine moved into a dilapidated mansion in the Hollywood Hills and they had to do extensive renovations on the property, unfortunately to the point that it drove them broke and they had to move. But while they we excavating they found a bottle of Grand Mariner in the Basement. Which they gave to Fran and I, evidently because they they think we are lushes! but more becuase they were grateful for the efforts in how be brought the GAY Freedom band back from extinction about 10 years ago. At first I was afraid to try it, the bottle was about half full, and the cork on top was sort of iffy, but eventually we bought a fresh bottle of Grand Mariner and decided to try the stuff against the fresh bottle. Supposedly the family put all the stuff in the basement sometime in the 30’s or so, but OMG! This was so mellowed, if you know what a finely aged wine tastes like, this was just the same! Finely aged Grand Mariner!

Excuse my funny modern day seal on the lid, but this is one fine bottle. There are a few sips left and I guess we are saving them for a special time!

Anyways! After this tasting I think we will be retiring to the room for a bit. I’m sure glad we have accommodations at the Beach Club because I wouldn’t want to have to deal with buses and scooters and transferring! We’ll see what happens for dinner, we still have a couple options since we haven’t received our official canceling the Cat Cora dinner call.

 

[dgbg100106]

Hey look! This is my first picture posted from my phone to the DIS! Wow! I am now unleashed! This was me this afternoon!

look at you go....

 

[dgbg100106]

Alison, I really liked the Coq au Vin with Mac and Cheese, the mac in cheese was so creamy and wonderful, the meat was so tender and flavorful....

Now my cuddler was about the size of the ones in pictures and the meat inside was the size of a pencil.... I will have to find my pictures...

 

[PrincessInOz]

Catching up. Looks like you're enjoying DLR before you trip off to Orlando. Glad you got your IoA/UA tickets. About time!

 

[franandaj]

Alison, I really liked the Coq au Vin with Mac and Cheese, the mac in cheese was so creamy and wonderful, the meat was so tender and flavorful....

Now my cuddler was about the size of the ones in pictures and the meat inside was the size of a pencil.... I will have to find my pictures...

OK, so that's what I want to hear about the Coq au vin. I love Mac n cheese, but I've read some bad reviews where the Mac was cold and hard, so let's hope those were isolated incidents.

Catching up. Looks like you're enjoying DLR before you trip off to Orlando. Glad you got your IoA/UA tickets. About time!

So they're actually going to be IOA tickets because we didn't buy "hopper" tickets and we don't plan on going into the Universal park. All we pretty much want to do is Harry Potter. Wow! I'll be in there getting ready for lunch with a butterbeer 2 weeks from now!

 

[dgbg100106]

OK, so that's what I want to hear about the Coq au vin. I love Mac n cheese, but I've read some bad reviews where the Mac was cold and hard, so let's hope those were isolated incidents.



So they're actually going to be IOA tickets because we didn't buy "hopper" tickets and we don't plan on going into the Universal park. All we pretty much want to do is Harry Potter. Wow! I'll be in there getting ready for lunch with a butterbeer 2 weeks from now!

The Mac n Cheese was really good, and everything was warm on my plate, I got it about noon one day, I was at the booth getting Fisherman's Pie at 11:15 one day and that stuff was so hot, I had to wait a good 5 minutes before I could eat it and the chunk of lobster in there was 10 times bigger than my cuddler...

So those two are great items...

Of course the cheese soup is wonderful..

 

[franandaj]

The Mac n Cheese was really good, and everything was warm on my plate, I got it about noon one day, I was at the booth getting Fisherman's Pie at 11:15 one day and that stuff was so hot, I had to wait a good 5 minutes before I could eat it and the chunk of lobster in there was 10 times bigger than my cuddler...

So those two are great items...

Of course the cheese soup is wonderful..

The Fisherman's Pie was my absolute favorite two years ago. I plan to have that first. the first day.

 

[dgbg100106]

The Fisherman's Pie was my absolute favorite two years ago. I plan to have that first. the first day.

 

[Leshaface]

I packed for 3 weeks in the Baltic's the night before. you can do it!

Wow! That is pretty amazing I must say!

So I'm sitting in the Naples Ristorante in DTD sipping a glass of Orvieto, and enjoying a Margherita pizza. It's very good. These are the same people who run Via Napoli in Epcot. If this is what their pizzas are like, I will enjoy eating there in May!

My massage is in 2 hours so once I finish here, I'll go check in at the spa, change into my bathing suit and go hang out by the pool!

EWW! That's where Dan and I got sick on our last Disneyland trip remember?! He will probably NEVER set foot in Via Napoli if I told him it is run by Naples.

And YAY for your IOA tickets! I'm really anxious to hear how you like it. I would love to go here someday, and I know you'll be honest about how it is.

 

[franandaj]

So with my new found knowledge, let's see if I can post a mini TR from my phone. I uploaded all these pics to PB before we left, so it's just copying and pasting URLs with text.

So yesterday I arrived out at DLR around 1PM. I wanted to eat somewhere I don't get to when I'm with Fran, so I decided on Naples Ristorante which is run by the same people who operate Via Napoli in Epcot.

Well here is my first snag, the picture of the exterior of the restaurant didn't upload! So here is the menu.

They promptly brought me bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was already mixed which was unfortunate because they put more olive oil than I would have liked and not enough vinegar.

The restaurant was fairly busy and I would have had to wait for an outside table.

I ordered a glass of Orvieto.

And a Margherita pizza. The pizza was great! The crust was thin and light and the toppings just perfect.

After this I bought some chocolate treats at Marcelines. Then I headed over to the spa.

After checking in they led me to a very small locker/shower area.

They had a steam room. Very steamy

And a sauna

This is one of the treatment rooms for a couples massage.

Here is the gorgeous pool area. This is the DVC wing.

I took quick dips in the pool and hot tub, had a glass of Chardonnay and just sat in the shade catching up on the DIS. When it came time for my massage i went back to the spa and changed into my robe and went to the waiting room. My therapist got me quickly and I had a nice massage and afterward she rubbed me with lemon ginger salt.

She took me to the shower area, gave me a new clean robe and I washed the salt off my body. I sat in the steam room for about 15 minutes. I took another shower and got dressed.

All in all it was a nice way to spend an afternoon! I still have another spa certificate left!

 

[franandaj]

Wow! That is pretty amazing I must say!



EWW! That's where Dan and I got sick on our last Disneyland trip remember?! He will probably NEVER set foot in Via Napoli if I told him it is run by Naples.

And YAY for your IOA tickets! I'm really anxious to hear how you like it. I would love to go here someday, and I know you'll be honest about how it is.

I'm glad I didn't remember that yesterday! I remember you got sick, but not where you got it. Don't let him know that the patina group runs half the restaurants at DTD, the Music Center and the Hollywood Bowl.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Looks like a very nice spa day.

I've eaten at Naples Restaurant in DTD and we loved it. We didn't get food poisoning and the pizzas were good there....and DS enjoyed the parmesan cheese there (with some spags and meatballs on the side).

 

[dgbg100106]

Your mini TR was great... you did awesome....



Looks like you had a wonderful day...

 

[franandaj]

EWW! That's where Dan and I got sick on our last Disneyland trip remember?! He will probably NEVER set foot in Via Napoli if I told him it is run by Naples.

It was fun meeting up with you! I checked the menu when I got back to the hotel and the pancetta pizza is not on the menu anymore!

Looks like a very nice spa day.

I've eaten at Naples Restaurant in DTD and we loved it. We didn't get food poisoning and the pizzas were good there....and DS enjoyed the parmesan cheese there (with some spags and meatballs on the side).

Which trip was that? I know how DS likes his Parm!

Your mini TR was great... you did awesome....



Looks like you had a wonderful day...

Thanks! It was rather difficult copying links on the phone while Fran was going 80 miles an hour! But we made it here in time to meet Leshaface for a drink!