Team Renfroe's 2nd Trip Report - 1,500 pictures, dining reviews, and DISmeets!

[alan_renfroe]

After a surprisingly wonderful lunch at Coral Reef, we decided to go to Living with the Land. This was another attraction that we had never experienced.

I must say, I think we ALL enjoyed this attraction very much! Again, it was one of those things that certainly was not a 'must-do' for us...and we ended up finding it very interesting and educational. (I must be getting older, because I really enjoy these slow-moving boat rides!)

I think part of our enjoyment of this ride was the fact that a lot of the food we had at lunch is grown right here at Epcot. It was like "here is the stuff you have just eaten!"

Sustainable fish - up close and personal - makes me feel not so guilty about that catfish I just had for lunch! I like the sustainable concept.

After Living with the Land, we saw a few familiar faces:

Next, we did Spaceship Earth:

After Spaceship Earth, we decided to head back to CSR for our daily nap ritual! After a rather relaxed day, we got ready for our big dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse.

Coming up next - Celebrating our anniversary at Yachtsman Steakhouse.

 

[portocall]

Loved all the updates Alan! I hope that the hot dog business is being good to you. Can't believe that we will be heading out in 15 days... sorry we cancelled the Coral Reef reservations in favor of Marrakesh, hopefully we are hungry. Your Coral Reef pics looked so cool!

 

[IheartDDuck]

I just started reading your trip report and I love it! I wanted to comment that my mom and I were in the world on the exact dates you were, and just happened to be eating at Les Chefs de France on the day of the DIS meet at the exact time. When we came out of the restaurant, I had noticed the sea of green shirts. This was obviously before I became an active DIS member, but I love it! Such a small world.

 

[alan_renfroe]

Loved all the updates Alan! I hope that the hot dog business is being good to you. Can't believe that we will be heading out in 15 days... sorry we cancelled the Coral Reef reservations in favor of Marrakesh, hopefully we are hungry. Your Coral Reef pics looked so cool!

We are having a great time with the hot dog biz! It's a lot of work, but we hope it will all be rewarding in the years to come. Hope you all have a GREAT time! I'd love to try Restaurant Marrakesh sometime also, but I don't think the kids would like it. Have a great trip!

I just started reading your trip report and I love it! I wanted to comment that my mom and I were in the world on the exact dates you were, and just happened to be eating at Les Chefs de France on the day of the DIS meet at the exact time. When we came out of the restaurant, I had noticed the sea of green shirts. This was obviously before I became an active DIS member, but I love it! Such a small world.

How cool is that? I'll bet you guys thought we were crazy with that sea of lime green shirts, huh? I've never eaten at Les Chefs. (Elizabeth think we'll save that one for a "grown-ups only" trip in the near future!)

Congrats on becoming an active DIS member. This is the coolest place ever for all things Disney. Fortunately, we were told that before our first trip we would need to do some research on WDW before going. Once I found the DIS boards, it helped us see the big picture....and I think we have fully enjoyed our experiences because of the knowledge we've gained from the DIS. Next time we meet, we'll have you in one of those lime green shirts as well!

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Great pix of Living with the Land! We went on that during our last trip! I don't remember seeing the pineapples...and had no idea they grew underground???

 

[inkedupmomma]

I am another huge fan of living with the land!! Great pics!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Great update! All of our family likes the Living With The Land attraction. We've done the Behind the Seeds Tour twice and it's even better than the ride and it doesn't bust the pocketbook wide open either.

 

[englishrose47]

Hi Alan .... Oh yes I love Living with the Lad Boat ride , educational,interesting and relaxing !!!!

I am working on my Sept TR and also my Feb 2010 PTR ,if you get a chance check them out !!! I am sooo hoping you will join the HUGE PEEP FEST in 2012 !!!!

 

[M & E love WDW]

It's amazing how much time you can manage to spend on the boards prior to your trip but when you get back, life happens. Have so enjoyed your family's vacation. I researched a lot ahead of our Sept/Oct trip and am really glad that I did. Our upcoming trip will not require any research as we will be in "camping" mode. It's all good since we're at Disney.

 

[alan_renfroe]

Great pix of Living with the Land! We went on that during our last trip! I don't remember seeing the pineapples...and had no idea they grew underground???

I really thought this would be one of those slow-moving rides that was really boring. Call me a nerd, but I thought it was very interesting...and the kids even liked it!

I am another huge fan of living with the land!! Great pics!

I would have to say that Living with the Land is a great down-time ride from all of the thrill rides. Frankly, we liked it MUCH better than Honey I shrunk the Audience and The Seas with Nemo and Friends. It was educational, but not boring.

Great update! All of our family likes the Living With The Land attraction. We've done the Behind the Seeds Tour twice and it's even better than the ride and it doesn't bust the pocketbook wide open either.

Riding the ride made me want to do the tour. I'll bet that's fun!

Hi Alan .... Oh yes I love Living with the Lad Boat ride , educational,interesting and relaxing !!!!

I am working on my Sept TR and also my Feb 2010 PTR ,if you get a chance check them out !!! I am sooo hoping you will join the HUGE PEEP FEST in 2012 !!!!

Great words to describe the ride: educational, interesting, and relaxing!

I'll find my way over to your report soon, Rosie. We would love to be part of that Huge Peep Fest....we'll see.

It's amazing how much time you can manage to spend on the boards prior to your trip but when you get back, life happens. Have so enjoyed your family's vacation. I researched a lot ahead of our Sept/Oct trip and am really glad that I did. Our upcoming trip will not require any research as we will be in "camping" mode. It's all good since we're at Disney.

Research makes ALL the difference in the world, doesn't it? If I ever speak to a family that has gone to Disney but didn't have a great time, MOST of the time it was due to poor planning. You'll see families walking through the parks in a daze wondering where to meander next, and amazed by the size of the crowds. With a little research, you can plan WHAT you want to do and WHEN to do it. We are still big proponents of making ADRs at the restaurants. I remember everyday about lunch time we would see people standing in LONG lines for overpriced burgers and fries. We felt like VIPs when we would walk into the restaurants with reservations and are seated within just a few minutes!

 

[alan_renfroe]

On our last trip to Disney World, we had dined at the Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club and loved it! We were very excited about dinner this evening, since this was going to be our official anniversary celebration.

We were given a beeper and told that we could wait in the bar, which we did.

Before we even had an opportunity to order a drink, we were called to our table. It was a lovely table and I could tell the service was going to be first class again this year, just like last year.

Decisions, decisions! I couldn't make up my mind about what to order. I was disappointed that the chateaubriand we had last year was no longer on the menu. While we were making up our minds, we ordered drinks. Elizabeth got the Long Island Iced Tea:

I had a margarita of some sort, but I don't remember what kind of margarita. It was completely delicious!!! Perhaps too much so!

Coming up next - our dinner review from the Yachtsman Steakhouse

 

[alan_renfroe]

We started with our appetizers. Wil ordered the Seared Maine Diver Scallops:

Uh....I think he like it!

Last year, I had the Chilled Seafood Salad and absolutely LOVED it. I convinced Elizabeth to order it this year also. Once again, it was divine:

Juliana had a bowl of chicken soup

Meanwhile, I had another margarita. yum!

For my entree, I was really disappointed that they no longer had the Chateaubriand on the menu. From looking at the menu, it appeared that their latest signature dish was a Cowboy Steak - a 20oz. bone-in Ribeye. I love Ribeye....it is generally my favorite steak. However, to be perfectly honest, this Ribeye just wasn't worth $47.00. It was big, but it was a little tough.

The mushrooms on the side, however, were wonderful!

Elizabeth ordered the Filet Mignon with Mashed Potatoes. The steak was really good, but the potatoes were...and I can't believe I'm saying this....a little too cheesy! They were good, but they were heavy on the cheese.

In my opinion, Wil's entree stole the show. He ordered the Rack of Lamb. It was absolutely outstanding!

Since will had gotten pretty full from eating his entire appetizer, he let me have most of his rack of lamb. After eating only about 1/4 of my Cowboy Steak, I abandoned it and ate the Rack of Lamb instead. Wow!

Juliana had the oak-grilled steak. (She's not really much of a steak eater, but she did eat a little.)

In the meantime, I ordered yet another margarita. They were Sooooo good!

We were all having a great time!

For dessert, Elizabeth had the Trio of Valrhona Chocolate. It was outstanding!

Wil had the Yachtsman Sundae. OMG! I think I "helped" him a little with this one!

I had the Artisanal Cheese Platter. I enjoyed it very much.

Juliana had the Mickey & Minnie Dessert Puzzle. It was cute!

Ummmm.....I think I ordered another margarita at this point! (I ended up having 5 of them. They were so good, and I having a great time!)

Our server was wonderful and he brought us some complimentary truffles to celebrate our anniversary. Nice touch!

Overall, we absolutely loved our dinner at the Yachtsman Steakhouse. The only negative thing I have to say was that the "signature" cowboy steak was tough....and definitely not worth $47. The Rack of Lamb, however, was $33 and worth every penny. The appetizers were great, the desserts were great, and the service was outstanding. I think the Yachtsman Steakhouse is now permanently on our 'must do' list of restaurants.

After our amazing dinner, we made our way back to Coronado Springs Resort on our last night before leaving. But we still had a full day left! Coming up - our last day at Disney - Hollywood Studios - Star Wars Weekend - and Downtown Disney!

Alan

 

[KatMark]

Oh my...those scallops have my mouth watering and my tummy grumbling. And the desserts. I'm surprised after 5 margaritas that you were able to take pictures.

We've never been and we'll have to put it on our list for our next visit (probably 2011).

 

[wdw&sonny]

Alan,
I'm mostly a lurker on these boards, but couldn't help but to send you a short note to thank you for a great report. Just the right amount of text and photos. You have a beautiful family and I really relate to your perspective on "family" vacation. Savor every moment.

Thanks.

 

[MagicShell]

I am caught up with your latest updates. All that food looks so good. I am glad you were having such a good time.

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Alan,

Just one question, if I may,

Did you like the margaritas?

Regards,

Luis

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

The scallops....I'll take some right now! They look like heaven!!

 

[englishrose47]

Awesome update as usual !! Have to econd Luis's? Do you like the marqueritas

Wil's scallops looked mouth watering and so did th rack of lamb!!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

5 margaritas! I bet you were having a great time!

Really, the evening sounds perfect - despite the meh steak. Did the waiter notice you only ate a small portion of it?

I am putting Living with the Land on our MUST DO list. We haven't ridden it since '06, we just kept missing it! I think my in-laws are gonna really like it too.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Sounds like your anniversary meal was a hit, especially the margaritas.

Looking forward to Star Wars weekend.