Team Renfroe trip report with TONS of pics & reviews

[Dcanoli]

Holy cow!

If I had known how good Y&Y was going to look and turn out, I would have booked it for our AK day!

Boy, you are making me hungry Alan!

 

[englishrose47]

Great update again Alan! Those wontons look awesome, if I go solo , what do I mean if !! When I go solo I think I'll add Y&Y to my list of TS's!! I liked that staek & shrimp too!!

 

[Figment's Friend]

Hey, Alan! Great Yak and Yeti pics! Those Fried Wontons look AMAZING! Definitely ordering those this December, without a doubt. Another great update, can't wait for more.

 

[alan_renfroe]

I'll be sad when your TR ends...y'all need to take another trip so you can keep us entertained with all your pictures.

Lisa

Thanks very much, Lisa! That's a great compliment!

WOW! I have spent the past 2 days reading your report, I followed you over from mine. This TR is AWESOME! Your family is beautiful! You take AMAZING pictures and I love your restaurant reviews We LOVED Yak & Yeti too! Sorry to hear your DD wasn't feeling well. LOVE LOVE the "dollar warning" idea, might have to steal that one Thanks for all the pics, of CSR, DH and I would like to stay there in Oct. possibly! Can't wait for more!

Diane

Thanks, Diane. I enjoyed YOUR report immensely! It is those who did reports before me that inspired me to be thinking about it while we were there. I would take photos of seemingly random things thinking that, "I might could use this shot in a trip report!"

Actually doing this trip report has been therapeutic in getting back to regular life after a Disney trip. It has been great to document what I now refer to as "the time of our lives!"

Thanks for all the compliments, and feel free to borrow the "dollar warning" thing. It has served our family well for about the past 4 years now....the kids LOVE it!

Your DD looks so cute with he face paint on.

I don't really even like Chinese all that much, but those pictures make it look so good!

I think a great thing about Yak & Yeti is that you can find something to eat, even if oriental food is not your favorite. The steak and shrimp, for instance, could almost be on any menu anywhere. Thanks for the compliment!

Holy cow!

If I had known how good Y&Y was going to look and turn out, I would have booked it for our AK day!

Boy, you are making me hungry Alan!

Hahaha...sorry Dcanoli! I didn't mean to make you question your choices! Where are you planning to eat on your AK day?

Great update again Alan! Those wontons look awesome, if I go solo , what do I mean if !! When I go solo I think I'll add Y&Y to my list of TS's!! I liked that staek & shrimp too!!

Thanks, englishrose47. WHEN you go solo, you'll have to check out Yak & Yeti! I'm a little nervous that I liked Y&Y so much and yet others have had bad experiences. I hope readers of this thread don't give it a try, then not like it! All I can say is that those pictures do NOT lie!

 

[alan_renfroe]

After a wonderful lunch at Yak & Yeti, we were all pretty tired. We had been getting up early every morning, and particularly early on this morning for the Extra Magic Hour.

DD was really not feeling well at all. She said she wanted to go back to the room. (I was actually surprised that she lasted as long as she did.) She still had some souvenir money, so I suggested that she & DW go to buy that webkinz she had been looking at, while DS & I used our last fastpass to ride Expedition Everest one last time. (Can you tell that I am addicted to this ride?)

After DS & I rode Expedition Everest for the 3rd and final time, we met back up with the girls. DD had made her purchase and was ready to go. We had planned to do the Festival of the Lion King AND Kali River Rapids, but it just wasn't going to happen. KRR had a really long standby line by this time, and the Festival of the Lion King show was still a while away.

Honestly, we were all really tired and drained from the heat. Even DS was okay with leaving without riding the highly anticipated Kali River Rapids. Of our entire trip, this was the one thing we didn't get to do that I wish we would have.

When we got back to the room, I asked DS if he would like to go swimming in the dig site pool, or maybe even to Blizzard Beach for awhile. He said, "nah, that's okay...I just want to rest a bit."

Here was the scene from 2:30pm until 5pm:

Pretty pathetic. (Actually, after taking this picture I joined them!)

Anyway, after a nice long nap, we all woke up and started getting ready for dinner. Our reservations for dinner were at 7:20pm at the Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club Resort.

We drove to the Yacht Club Resort and arrived a little early.

We checked in and were given a beeper. The hostess told us that we could wait in the bar area if we'd like.

DW & I both had a drink.

DW had a Raspberry Champagne (left) and I had a Raspberry Pina Colada.

Both drinks were excellent!

We were soon seated around 7:30pm.

Next installment - Yachtsman Steakhouse dinner review

 

[raph_b]

I definitely think I won the battle of the appetizers on this day.

What a great line!

Yak & Yeti looks amazing - once again, great pics & great review Alan/Clarke!

 

[serene56]

Hi Alan: Came back with post 320.

you said the kids were going to take the next pictures of the animals and the first pic was your wife and daughter..... too funny.

what is the cost for the face painting- they did a wonderful job.

 

[Dcanoli]

Hahaha...sorry Dcanoli! I didn't mean to make you question your choices! Where are you planning to eat on your AK day?

Well, I always "book" AK for their late-night EMH, and since we still can't get through the entire park in one day (even WITH the EMH), I take the opportunity to eat at one of the resorts on that day.

It doesn't help that AK normally doesn't have a TS restaurant either. I mean they had the breakfast, but I like to save my TS credits for dinners and eat breakfast in the room.

Since they were opening up Y&Y (or it may have just opened) when I hit my 180-day mark, I didn't want to take a chance on it.

So, we booked O'Hana this year. We did O'Hana last year, and everyone LOVED it! It was great!

The first year, we did Boma, and it was wonderful too.

I'm a little bit up in the air about eating at Y&Y. It looks and sounds awesome, but with the park having such short hours, I sort of hate to take away from Park time.

I wonder if Y&Y stays open later than the rest of the park, if you make a late dinner ressie?? Hmmmm.....

 

[TigerKat]

I so wish you guys could have seen Festival of the Lion King, it's my favorite thing in all of WDW!!

Can't wait to read about Yachtsman, we're trying it for the first time in November.

 

[Cory's Gal]

I am still enjoying your TR! Your DD was such a trooper, I LOVE her face painting. Yak and Yeti looked yummy!! Those appetizers and desserts looked HUGE!! Thanks for posting all the pics too!!!

 

[Lady Lallie]

I can't believe your DD's face paint lasted through her nap! Wow!

 

[Snowy-girls]

The food at Yak+Yeti looked so good.The Tuna looked cooked to perfection+the steak+brownie well what can i say-i made good choices .Shame your daughter still did'nt feel completley 100%.I loved the picture of your family sound asleep on the beds.
Oh raspberry pina colada's or strawberry ones-i could drink one of them right now-they are so refreshing.Can't wait for more Alan.x.

 

[PoppyAnna]

Another great installment
I love the photos of your family asleep on the beds, and the fact that your children are asleep in almost the exact same position.
Shame you missed KRR, never mind, there's always next time

 

[disneyhockeymad]

Great next 'chapter'. Your DD's pillow she was sleeping on must have been covered in facepaint and glitter... I'm amazed it lasted that long!
Can't wait for the reviews of the Yachtsman!

 

[mousebit]

OK, we will most definitely keep our ADRs for Y&Y! BUT I have to stop reading your TR so early in the a.m. It's not even 9:00 yet and I'm STARVING!

You guys really have had a great trip so far...somebody did some good DIS planning I believe! Thanx for sharing/informing/entertaining.

 

[alan_renfroe]

What a great line!

Yak & Yeti looks amazing - once again, great pics & great review Alan/Clarke!

Hahaha!! Thanks raph_b!

Hi Alan: Came back with post 320.

you said the kids were going to take the next pictures of the animals and the first pic was your wife and daughter..... too funny.

what is the cost for the face painting- they did a wonderful job.

Yeah, I saw that after the fact. I guess I should have saved that caption until AFTER the picture of DW & DD!

The face paintings were between $12 - $15, depending on the design. The one that DD chose was $12. I thought it was a pretty good deal, actually!

Well, I always "book" AK for their late-night EMH, and since we still can't get through the entire park in one day (even WITH the EMH), I take the opportunity to eat at one of the resorts on that day.

It doesn't help that AK normally doesn't have a TS restaurant either. I mean they had the breakfast, but I like to save my TS credits for dinners and eat breakfast in the room.

Since they were opening up Y&Y (or it may have just opened) when I hit my 180-day mark, I didn't want to take a chance on it.

So, we booked O'Hana this year. We did O'Hana last year, and everyone LOVED it! It was great!

The first year, we did Boma, and it was wonderful too.

I'm a little bit up in the air about eating at Y&Y. It looks and sounds awesome, but with the park having such short hours, I sort of hate to take away from Park time.

I wonder if Y&Y stays open later than the rest of the park, if you make a late dinner ressie?? Hmmmm.....

Ooh, I'm jealous! I tried and tried to get Ohana for dinner, but I couldn't work it out. On our next trip, Ohana will be one of the first dinner reservations we make. We had breakfast there, (more later,) and really enjoyed it.

I don't blame you about Y&Y, given your plans. I probably wouldn't schedule it for dinner, but if you are at AK around lunch time anyway and would like to do a TS, this is the one to do.

I so wish you guys could have seen Festival of the Lion King, it's my favorite thing in all of WDW!!

Can't wait to read about Yachtsman, we're trying it for the first time in November.

Oh, I wish we could have seen it too. Day 6 was the first time during our trip that I started wishing we had bought the park hopper. Once we left Animal Kingdom, we knew we were going to miss Festival of the Lion King and Kali River Rapids. We could not go back to AK if we wanted to keep our plans intact. This is just another reason we can justify going back to WDW again, right?

I am still enjoying your TR! Your DD was such a trooper, I LOVE her face painting. Yak and Yeti looked yummy!! Those appetizers and desserts looked HUGE!! Thanks for posting all the pics too!!!

Thanks, Cory's Gal. You are right: DD was a trooper for pressing on, even though she didn't feel well. Y&Y was great, and those desserts were awesome!

I can't believe your DD's face paint lasted through her nap! Wow!

I was impressed by that as well! She kept it on throughout dinner and the rest of the day.

The food at Yak+Yeti looked so good.The Tuna looked cooked to perfection+the steak+brownie well what can i say-i made good choices .Shame your daughter still did'nt feel completley 100%.I loved the picture of your family sound asleep on the beds.
Oh raspberry pina colada's or strawberry ones-i could drink one of them right now-they are so refreshing.Can't wait for more Alan.x.

Thanks, x. It's funny how vacations will make you change your norm...I would never think to order a Raspberry Colada back home, but on vacation it was a treat!

Another great installment
I love the photos of your family asleep on the beds, and the fact that your children are asleep in almost the exact same position.
Shame you missed KRR, never mind, there's always next time

Thanks, Joanne! I just thought that was a precious moment and decided to take a quick pic of it. That's hilarious that the kids are in the same position! When they were smaller, people used to think they were twins.

Great next 'chapter'. Your DD's pillow she was sleeping on must have been covered in facepaint and glitter... I'm amazed it lasted that long!
Can't wait for the reviews of the Yachtsman!

I was afraid her pillow would be smeered also, but the facepaint actually held up quite well. Besides a little glitter here and there, we were in the clear!

It would have been interesting to see what would've happened if we had ridden Kali River Rapids and gotten soaked!

OK, we will most definitely keep our ADRs for Y&Y! BUT I have to stop reading your TR so early in the a.m. It's not even 9:00 yet and I'm STARVING!

You guys really have had a great trip so far...somebody did some good DIS planning I believe! Thanx for sharing/informing/entertaining.

Thanks, Barb! Be forewarned! The next post may make you even hungrier! So, approach with caution!

We definitely did a great deal of planning prior to our trip. We treated this trip as if it would be the only time we would ever have this experience...just in case! DW & I are big foodies...we love Food Network, Top Chef, Travel Channel, etc. In other words, for us vacation = eating out and eating well! I felt that we absolutely got our money's worth from the Deluxe Dining Plan. My ONLY criticism of the plan is that it is TOO much food! Would I do it again? If I can afford to, absolutely. It's so nice to prepay for all of your meals and not have to worry about spending money while you're on vacation.

 

[alan_renfroe]

Our reservations at the Yachtsman Steakhouse were for 7:20pm. We arrived about 7:15pm and were seated around 7:30pm or so. Our servers were Bill and Eric. They explained that they work as a team and that either could help us at any time. Of all the great service we had at all the Disney restaurants, this was the best. These two guys probably make a LOT of money, because they worked their tails off. Not only do they serve, they bus the tables, set up linens, etc.

Bill was the server that took our order. He was a well-experienced server that could have been working in any fine restaurant anywhere in the world. His attention to detail was flawless. He made terrific recommendations from the menu selections.

My original intent was to have the lobster bisque as my appetizer. However, after hearing Bill describe the menu, I decided to order the chilled seafood salad. He said the lobster bisque was great also, but was very filling. I took his advice and ordered the chilled seafood salad. It was incredible!

Now, this is a BIG statement...but I must say this was my favorite appetizer throughout our entire trip....better than the awesome cheddar cheese soup at Le Cellier...and even better than that terrific seared ahi tuna at Yak & Yeti.

DS had the Seared Maine Diver Scallops. They were outstanding!

DW had the Crispy Fried Rock Shrimp. I hate to say it, but it was not good AT ALL. In fact, it was pretty bad.

DD had the Chicken Noodle Soup. Again, she still wasn't feeling great, so she just ate a few bites.

Again, I won the battle of the appetizers. Yay me! Thanks for the suggestion, Bill!

For our entrees, DW & I had the Chateaubriand. It was outstanding! Melt in you mouth...wonderful!

I ordered an Amberbock draft to go with my steak.

Here is a blurry picture of the mushrooms that came with our Chateaubriand. They were delicious!

DS had the Boneless Lamb Loin. It was wonderful also! This was DS's first time to try lamb. He liked it, but not as much as his beloved seafood. I can't even imagine myself trying lamb at 11! I was really proud of him. I ended up eating part of it myself and it was fantastic.

DD had the Grilled Fish with Mickey-shaped pasta. The pasta didn't come with anything on it! No cheese sauce or anything...just plain! It almost didn't matter anyway, because DD was just not feeling well. (Besides...she's a dessert girl!)

For dessert, DS had the creme brulee. He loved it!

I cannot remember the name of what DW ordered for dessert, but it was amazing! It was her favorite dessert up to this point of the trip. It was something like a triple chocolate dessert:

DD had the cutest dessert! It was a white chocolate puzzle that you paint yourself! She had fun with it.

After eating my chilled seafood salad, a bite of DS's scallops, my steak, part of DS's lamb, and mushrooms, I was absolutely stuffed...so I passed on dessert altogether. Bill insisted, "but the dessert comes with your meal on the Deluxe Dining Plan!" I told him, "I don't care! I don't want it!"

With the exception of DW's appetizer and DD still not feeling well, our dinner experience at Yachtsman was wonderful. I would give it a 10 on service, a 10 on my appetizer, but about a 3 on DW's appetizer, a 9 on the Chateaubriand, a 9 on the lamb, about a 4 on DD's entree, and a 9.5 on the desserts overall. That makes it hard to come up with an accurate overall rating, but I would rate the entire experience about an 8.

Again, I cannot say enough about the service. Without the Dining Plan, this would have been an expensive meal, and I still tipped about 30%. (I will tip well if service is exceptional.)

The atmosphere was less conducive to families with kids, but there were still plenty of families with kids in the room. If you are taking a trip without children, I would definitely recommend the Yachtsman.

 

[TigerKat]

So glad to read a great review of Yachtsman. I was leaning toward the chilled seafood appetizer and now I'm sold!

 

[MichelleVW]

You are so lucky that your son is such a good eater!! My girls are 15 and 17 and won't eat anything remotely "weird".

 

[Figment's Friend]

The Fried Wontons at Yak and Yeti look delicious. I am definitely ordering that in December, without a doubt! The pic of your family sleeping made me laugh - we all know how that feels at WDW! All the food at Yachtsman Steakhouse looks delicious. Can't wait for more!