Team Renfroe trip report with TONS of pics & reviews

[BellaSwan]

I am loving your trip report!

 

[Figment's Friend]

Your GF pictures are beautiful. It's a stunning resort! Can't wait for Narcoossee's!

 

[alan_renfroe]

Okay, I'm back from the the concert! It was awesome!

Wow, I had no idea he was in town tonight! Welcome to Atlanta and have a great time!

Thanks, Dcanoli. JB was at Lakewood Amphitheatre tonight. Awesome show!

Alright do you really have to rub it in .I'm drooling even more now.

Fantastic photo's of the resort it looks lovely.I love the picture of your children under the tree in front of the lake+also the pics the bartender took of you+your wife are very nice.I would have to try one of each of them cocktails,it would'nt be right to leave one out .Can't wait for more.x.

Hahaha...thanks, x. Those are two of my favorite photos from the entire trip - the one of the kids under the tree and the one of DW & I at the pool bar. (That looks like vacation to me!)

I found my way over to your TR from a plug on MRYPPNS pretrip report.
Your pictures have convinced me to keep our Le Cellier ADR. I know, I know, everyone is going to think I am crazy but I was iffy about it, now I am not. I can't wait to try their soup! Thanks!

Welcome, Lallie! Glad you found my report.

Le Cellier is AWESOME, and I think you'll be glad you made ADRs there. Try the soup, try the soup, TRY THE SOUP!!!

Can't wait for Narcosses !! I am dieing to try the lobster there!!

Lobster photos coming up!

Can't wait! We're trying Narcoossee's for the first time in November!!

It's a very pretty restaurant, and a really great experience.

Can't wait to hear about your dinner, I have heard this place is wonderful. Great pics of your resort, it looks huge. Have fun a the concert!!


Melissa

Hi Melissa! The concert was outstanding! Narcoossee's was great too! Report to follow.

I am loving your trip report!

Thank you, BellaSwan!

Your GF pictures are beautiful. It's a stunning resort! Can't wait for Narcoossee's!

GF is absolutely stunning. I don't see my family staying there, however. It's in the 'too pricey' category for us. It was fun to visit, though, getting to stroll across the grounds.

Narcoossee's report to follow.

 

[mama2girls]

I tried to read back to see what I missed but I can't find it. Could someone please help, what thermostat trick?????

Another great trick is to use those helium balloons that are sold. If you buy one the first day of your trip, not only do your kids get a souvy but the constant movement of the balloon in the room tricks the sensors. bingo! no reset of the thermostat!

 

[mama2girls]

Awesome TR! I just found it today and Im lovin it! 14 more months till my trip...can you believe I have already started my packing list? LOL I dont want to miss anything!!!

 

[alan_renfroe]

We arrived at 6:05pm for our 6:30pm reservations and were seated immediately. Our server was Janet. She was okay, but just okay. (Our servers at Cali Grill, Le Cellier, and Tony's Town Square were better, in my opinion.)

Here is the menu:

We started off with drinks. DW had a sangria, and I had the raspberry mojito. (It's funny...I would NEVER order a mojito back home...but I LOVED it!)

DD had the mixed fruit appetizer:

DS & I had the crabcakes. They were TO DIE FOR!! Really outstanding. The remoulade sauce and the green papaya slaw were delicious.

DW had the artisan cheese platter. She enjoyed it very much!

For our entree, DS & I both had the Whole Maine Lobster.

The lobster was good and fresh. However, I felt that it was overcooked. The claws were great, but the tail was a little tough. DS & I still ate every bite.

DW had the Surf & Turf. Her steak was delicious and cooked to perfection, but the lobster tail didn't taste as fresh as our whole Maine lobsters.

DD had the hamburger plate. She enjoyed it very much, but she was still a little full from such a huge lunch at Le Cellier!

Note to self: don't eat at Le Cellier and Narcoossee's in the same day. Wow! That's a TON of food!

Anyway, on to desserts. DD had the 'make your own s'mores'.

I had the Almond-crusted Cheese Cake with Lambert Cherries. Incredible!

DS had the Warm Chocolate Cake

DW had the Key Lime Creme Brulee. She enjoyed it very much.

Overall, Narcoossee's is hard to rank. I really can't compare it to California Grill, because that would not be comparing apples to apples...but if I could only do ONE of the two, I would go with California Grill. If you are on the DxDDP, Narcoossee's is a great choice, even though it takes 2TS credits. If you are paying out of pocket, Narcoossee's is extremely expensive.

To me, the best thing about Narcoossee's was its atmosphere and location. The tables are nicely done with dark blue linens and crystal glasses. The view across the Seven Seas Lagoon is breathtaking. You definitely feel like you are on vacation here.

All things considered, I would give Narcoossee's an 8.6 out of 10. It was really great, but the lobster was somewhat overcooked. The service was slow, but steady, and the restaurant itself is beautiful. I would definitely go back again, but I would probably try a few more things on the next trip, just for variety.

 

[bizneydizney]

Ok, I love your family and your trip report. I check a couple of times each day to see what else you have posted. I am not a big seafood fan but the raspberry mojito looks really good. I thought it would be some lurid red drink but that actually has recognizable chunks of raspberry with the mint.

 

[Cory's Gal]

Wow, your last two meals at Le Cellier and Narcoossee's looked fantastic! That son of yours eating crab cakes and lobster, good for him!! My DS who is just 3 really loves Salmon and other grilled fish so there is hope for him to like new foods!! I love all the pictures, you are a beautiful family! Looks like the pool at CSR is great too!! Can't wait for more!!

 

[alan_renfroe]

Ok, I love your family and your trip report. I check a couple of times each day to see what else you have posted. I am not a big seafood fan but the raspberry mojito looks really good. I thought it would be some lurid red drink but that actually has recognizable chunks of raspberry with the mint.

Thanks, bizneydizney!! Yeah, that mojito was awesome. It was nice and clear with several fresh raspberries in it. There was a nice ratio of mint leaves and raspberries.

Wow, your last two meals at Le Cellier and Narcoossee's looked fantastic! That son of yours eating crab cakes and lobster, good for him!! My DS who is just 3 really loves Salmon and other grilled fish so there is hope for him to like new foods!! I love all the pictures, you are a beautiful family! Looks like the pool at CSR is great too!! Can't wait for more!!

Well, we definitely did NOT go hungry!! DS loved his lobster. It was his first lobster experience. (Actually, I guess it was his second since he had the chilled lobster appetizer at California Grill two nights earlier.) Anyway, when we were planning for our trip, trying lobster was one of the things DS was really looking forward to. He ate all of it!

That is awesome about your DS loving grilled fish! It's a good way to get him to eat healthy also.

 

[alan_renfroe]

After our wonderful dinner at Narcoossee's, we went out on the deck overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon and took some pictures.

A very nice lady asked if we would like for her to take pictures of our entire family. She was super nice and was asking how old our children were. We told her 11 & 8. She said, "Enjoy this! This is the time of your lives!" .. and it was!

After leaving the restaurant, we walked through the Grand Floridian to the monorail station. I took these pictures along the way:

DD spotted this little rabbit:

We took the monorail around to the Ticket & Transportation Center, then caught the monorail to Epcot. Back at Epcot, we had intended to find a nice spot to view IllumiNations. Instead, the sky was looking like it might rain and DS really wanted to go back on Test Track and Mission Space again. So, instead of catching IllumiNations, all four of us did Test Track one more time using the fastpasses we had obtained earlier. After that, DS and I did the Orange version of Mission Space again.

By that time, the fireworks were going off and the show was nearly over. We decided to beat the crowd to the buses and head back to Coronado Springs.

It was a LONG day, but we had an awesome time! Day 4 review:
We all rode Test Track twice, Soarin' twice, and DS & I rode Mission Space twice. We all did The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, and Honey I Shrunk the Audience. We had lunch at Le Cellier, went back to Coronado Springs, picked up our refillable mugs at the Pepper Market, spent some time at the pool, then went to dinner at Narcoossee's. We went back to Epcot for a little while, then back to the room. Awesome day!

As the nice lady at Narcoossee's said, this is the time of our lives!

Next up, Day 5 - Boma for breakfast, then Typhoon Lagoon.

 

[peightonmom]

Love the pics from the GF! Beautiful.

Is your daughter sucking her thumb in that last pic?
My dd is a thumbsucker as well.

 

[CHEK]

Some beautiful pics of you and your family , Do I spy a thumb in your DD's mouth?, my eldest DD who's 9 loves her thumb

 

[Snowy-girls]

Excellent day+wow what a lot of scrummy food-i am in heaven with your food porn .Beautiful photos of all of you that,that lady took.How on earth could you manage Mission Space after eating all that food .x.

 

[alan_renfroe]

Love the pics from the GF! Beautiful.

Is your daughter sucking her thumb in that last pic?
My dd is a thumbsucker as well.

I'm not sure if that is a thumb in her mouth or not. She's usually not a thumb-sucker, but at bed time she does get very cuddly.

Some beautiful pics of you and your family , Do I spy a thumb in your DD's mouth?, my eldest DD who's 9 loves her thumb

Thanks for the complimets! I'm not sure about the thumb thing...she has never been a regular thumb sucker, but we did see her doing it a couple of times on this trip. She swears that she wasn't!

Excellent day+wow what a lot of scrummy food-i am in heaven with your food porn .Beautiful photos of all of you that,that lady took.How on earth could you manage Mission Space after eating all that food .x.

Thanks, x. After I finish my report, I will post my food pics on the food porn thread for sure. That thread helped us in deciding where to make our ADRs!

I actually did okay riding Mission Space after dinner....I was a little worried, though. Anyway, it was about an hour and a half after dinner....so there was at least a little time.

 

[englishrose47]

Awesome as always!! I still havbe Narcosses on my list, but am not sure if it will be next year!!

 

[alan_renfroe]

Day 5 began by getting up early and driving from Coronado Springs to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was a short drive and we had no problems at all. Animal Kingdom Lodge is beautiful! The atmosphere, the theme, everything is just lovely about this resort.

We had reservations for breakfast at 8:30am. I took these pictures on the way into Boma.

(this one is blurry, but I included it anyway):

Next up, Boma breakfast review.

 

[MAJ RN]

That's it!! I have to start eating dinner before I read your dining reviews. I want to lick my laptop screen!! You have a beautiful family. I have really enjoyed all of the pictures that you have taken. We have stayed at the AKL and I cannot say enough about it and we always make a point to eat at Boma, my personal favorite. Can't wait to read more


Melissa

 

[bizneydizney]

I noticed that while you drove to Florida you chose to use Disney transportation. I was just curious, was this because you wanted the full Disney experience, high gas prices, ...? Did you drive to AKL because it was too difficult to get there from CSR? or was it the time in the am?

Also, can you take either the boat or monorail to the GF? How about the Polynesian?

 

[TCKK]

Great Trip Report and awesome pics! Just found you today and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking forward to more.

 

[TigerKat]

What a truly magical day you had on Day 4, the lady was so right on....the time of your lives!

I'm really looking forward to your BOMA breakfast review as we are planning this for our upcoming trip!

Once again, your family is beautiful.