jagafen
Wine drinker, family CEO/CFO, uber planner
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2007
- Messages
- 1,076
Figured now was as good a time as any to introduce ourselves. I've been stalking the dining reviews for food porn and reviews of our selected table service meals for months now. It's finally 3 days until OUR vacation, so I figured I'd get this started...
First, about us. I'm the mom (39 on 8/13), married to DH 43 (married on 8/13 as well...thanks to my MIL!!), proud parents of the most amazing son, 9. I know all parents say that about their kids, but trust me, if you met my kid, you'd think he was amazing too! I'm the uber planner in the family. Of course, I seek input from my family, but their needs are limited, and they are men of very few words. Dh is a go with the flow kind of guy. He's a wonderful husband, and a great father. I lucked out....
. DS is the epitome of the uber picky eater. Dining can be a bit of a challenge with him in tow, but that's ok. He's our kid, our only, and everyone has quirks. He'll grow out of it one day when he meets a cute girl who manages to convince him that all the green things aren't out to kill him. This is our 3rd family trip to Orlando. In 2008 we did Disney (AKL) and a Day at Seaworld. We did a mommy/son trip Nov 2008 (ASmo) to justify the airfare for my cousin's wedding. Our next family vaca was in 2010 (again, AKL), where we didn't leave the property, that I can recall. This year, DH put his foot down (and he rarely puts his foot down), and said we need to change resorts from AKL, as he's "seen enough" and wants to try something different. No worries, hon, I gotcha covered. DS is finally tall enough for most of the rides at US/IOA, and I haven't been there since the 1990s when I was at UCF for my first try at college. Turns out, they're pretty reasonable compared to the price of a Disney vacation. We're staying Club level at the Royal Pacific Resort the week before we transfer to Disney, and looking forward to mixing things up a bit, park-wise. We'll also be checking out Legoland one day, so there will be lots to talk about upon our return.
On the Disney side, we're staying at BC this time, seeing as it seems to be pretty high up on the "Best Disney Resorts" list. In the past, we've done the DDP. However, since this will probably be our last trip to WDW for the foreseeable future (DH has "seen enough", and DS isn't even a little bit interested in the characters) we decided to upgrade to the DxDDP to work in all those signatures we haven't been able to hit up yet.
As an aside: We love the DDP. We like the convienence. We like not having to worry about the check. It fits our vacationing style. Feel free to have your own opinion, but please, do not knock me for mine.
Keep those thoughts "inside your brain"...
So, with that said, here's our dining line-up. We're not trying to "maximize our credits", and we're not using 2 of DS's credits due to his attendance at the Sandcastle club. But we're ok with that. Really, we are. But this is a heavy signature dining line-up, and we're looking forward to trying some of Disney's "best". We're not die hard foodies, but in our college days, we both worked the fine dining thing to pay for said college educations, so we know a thing or two about good food and even better wine!! We enjoy a nice meal every now and then, and are really looking forward to doing the Delux plan this time around.
At the Universal side, here's a brief listing of what we have planned:
Jake's American Bar and Grill for dinner
Royal Pacific Luau-dinner (sorry Disney-ites...heard it beat the pants off Disney's verison according to those in the know on the Dark Side)
Bula grill for lunch
Tchop Chop for dinner
Finnegan's for dinner
Emeril's lunch
Bob Marley dinner
Harry Potter breakfast
Mythos dinner
Pat O'Brien's dinner
Disney Arrival day:
Coral Reef Lunch/repeat (my birthday lunch). This is a must do for us each trip. We love the atmosphere, and have never had a bad meal. I know there are those that are "not impressed", but that's not us! This is our traditional Epcot meal, regardless of what DDP we're using.
Jiko dinner/new (never did it, even though we've stayed at AKLx2. Must do this time around). Enough said. This is the restaurant we could never fit in. When on the DDP we'd "burn" 2 TS for a signature anniversary dinner, and Jiko never made the short list. What did? Cali Grill our first trip, Victoria and Albert's our 2nd trip (free Queen Vitoria's Dining Room dinner thanks to Disney Reward dollars!). This year, Narcoosee's is the official anniversary dinner venue, but we managed to work Jiko in. I JUST tweaked this reservation for an hour later than scheduled (we leave Friday am, remember?)...so keep trying and work on those ressies if they're not perfect until they are!!
AK day:
Yak and Yeti lunch/repeat (this is our hardest park to plan meals in, due to DS's refined palate. We did have RFC planned, and DH politely requested that I find an alternative.)
Sanna dinner/repeat. This is DH's one dining must do. We agree, a hidden gem.
Off day: lounging at pool
Captain's grill lunch/new. Not much to say about this one except location, location, location. It'll be nice to try out some of the restaurants on the "other" side of the World!!
Narcoosee's/new, party of 2 to celebrate our wedding anniversary the week prior. DS's request to go to the kids clubs has been granted, x2 this trip! Momma has a thing for surf n turf. DH and I like a nice bottle of wine to go with dinner. This was cut from the short list a few years ago, and it's another of my Disney must do's.
HWS day:
Sci-fi lunch. A repeat request from DS. What 9 y/o wouldn't love the place?
Fantasmic HBD package/new. Another on our "must check out" list. Going in with no expectations so that we can fairly judge the place. Looking forward to it, however.
Epcot Day:
LE Cellier lunch/repeat sort of. We had dinner here back when it was 1TS, figured we'd work it in, check out lunch, as we don't think that it's truly a 2TS dining experience (won't argue with anyone there!)
Flying Fish dinner/new. We've heard great things about this place. Very excited about this one too. Again, a late tweak to our plans, and I moved this back by an hour to make sure we weren't rushing from hither to yon.
MK/Pool day:
Tony's Town Square lunch/repeat. We did it for dinner on our first trip, but haven't checked out lunch. Simple menu with crowd pleasers for all. We were at 1900 park fare, but since we're only doing a 1/2 day at MK, I'd rather stay in park and cut down on our travel time.
Yachtsman dinner/new. The progeny will be excused to the sandcastle club for the evening again, as the kid's menu is lacking, in his humble opinion. So DH and I get to have 2 romantic dinners this trip!! Whoo Hoo!! Besides, DH and I used to wait tables at high end steakhouses, so if there's one thing we know, it's steak. To date, our best steak dinner has been at Morton's in Baltimore. If you're ever there, we recommend the proterhouse for 2, served tableside. We're curious to try out Disney's "best steak dinner" on the DDP.
MK Day
crystal Palace lunch/repeat, sort of. We've done breakfast and dinner here, but never lunch. This is a tradition every trip (DS's first favorite Disney character was Pooh) and I couldn't get it in our itinerary until this morning. DS will be fresh from The Pirate's League... willing to give it a lunch shot to save the hassle of traveling to a monorail resort just for lunch. This was another "down to the wire" change. I just can't leave those darn ADRs alone!!
California Grill dinner/repeat. An adult favorite. DS likes going to "fancy dinners"...makes him feel grown up. On our first trip, I had my very first Disney Food OMG moment. Goat Cheese Ravioli. And it was just the appetizer. Enough said. Delish.
HWS/Packing/pool
50's Prime time lunch/repeat for DS and I, new for DH. Another on my personal "must do for varying reasons" Disney dining experiences.
Citrico's dinner/new. Our last night's meal. Insert sad sigh here.
departure day
Breakfast at Cape May Cafe...insert even sadder sigh.
So that's it, our general plan. I'm going to consider it 100% done, as I tweaked 3 reservations just today, and IMO, you can't get any more last minute than that!
First, about us. I'm the mom (39 on 8/13), married to DH 43 (married on 8/13 as well...thanks to my MIL!!), proud parents of the most amazing son, 9. I know all parents say that about their kids, but trust me, if you met my kid, you'd think he was amazing too! I'm the uber planner in the family. Of course, I seek input from my family, but their needs are limited, and they are men of very few words. Dh is a go with the flow kind of guy. He's a wonderful husband, and a great father. I lucked out....
. DS is the epitome of the uber picky eater. Dining can be a bit of a challenge with him in tow, but that's ok. He's our kid, our only, and everyone has quirks. He'll grow out of it one day when he meets a cute girl who manages to convince him that all the green things aren't out to kill him. This is our 3rd family trip to Orlando. In 2008 we did Disney (AKL) and a Day at Seaworld. We did a mommy/son trip Nov 2008 (ASmo) to justify the airfare for my cousin's wedding. Our next family vaca was in 2010 (again, AKL), where we didn't leave the property, that I can recall. This year, DH put his foot down (and he rarely puts his foot down), and said we need to change resorts from AKL, as he's "seen enough" and wants to try something different. No worries, hon, I gotcha covered. DS is finally tall enough for most of the rides at US/IOA, and I haven't been there since the 1990s when I was at UCF for my first try at college. Turns out, they're pretty reasonable compared to the price of a Disney vacation. We're staying Club level at the Royal Pacific Resort the week before we transfer to Disney, and looking forward to mixing things up a bit, park-wise. We'll also be checking out Legoland one day, so there will be lots to talk about upon our return.On the Disney side, we're staying at BC this time, seeing as it seems to be pretty high up on the "Best Disney Resorts" list. In the past, we've done the DDP. However, since this will probably be our last trip to WDW for the foreseeable future (DH has "seen enough", and DS isn't even a little bit interested in the characters) we decided to upgrade to the DxDDP to work in all those signatures we haven't been able to hit up yet.
As an aside: We love the DDP. We like the convienence. We like not having to worry about the check. It fits our vacationing style. Feel free to have your own opinion, but please, do not knock me for mine.
Keep those thoughts "inside your brain"...So, with that said, here's our dining line-up. We're not trying to "maximize our credits", and we're not using 2 of DS's credits due to his attendance at the Sandcastle club. But we're ok with that. Really, we are. But this is a heavy signature dining line-up, and we're looking forward to trying some of Disney's "best". We're not die hard foodies, but in our college days, we both worked the fine dining thing to pay for said college educations, so we know a thing or two about good food and even better wine!! We enjoy a nice meal every now and then, and are really looking forward to doing the Delux plan this time around.
At the Universal side, here's a brief listing of what we have planned:
Jake's American Bar and Grill for dinner
Royal Pacific Luau-dinner (sorry Disney-ites...heard it beat the pants off Disney's verison according to those in the know on the Dark Side)
Bula grill for lunch
Tchop Chop for dinner
Finnegan's for dinner
Emeril's lunch
Bob Marley dinner
Harry Potter breakfast
Mythos dinner
Pat O'Brien's dinner
Disney Arrival day:
Coral Reef Lunch/repeat (my birthday lunch). This is a must do for us each trip. We love the atmosphere, and have never had a bad meal. I know there are those that are "not impressed", but that's not us! This is our traditional Epcot meal, regardless of what DDP we're using.
Jiko dinner/new (never did it, even though we've stayed at AKLx2. Must do this time around). Enough said. This is the restaurant we could never fit in. When on the DDP we'd "burn" 2 TS for a signature anniversary dinner, and Jiko never made the short list. What did? Cali Grill our first trip, Victoria and Albert's our 2nd trip (free Queen Vitoria's Dining Room dinner thanks to Disney Reward dollars!). This year, Narcoosee's is the official anniversary dinner venue, but we managed to work Jiko in. I JUST tweaked this reservation for an hour later than scheduled (we leave Friday am, remember?)...so keep trying and work on those ressies if they're not perfect until they are!!
AK day:
Yak and Yeti lunch/repeat (this is our hardest park to plan meals in, due to DS's refined palate. We did have RFC planned, and DH politely requested that I find an alternative.)
Sanna dinner/repeat. This is DH's one dining must do. We agree, a hidden gem.
Off day: lounging at pool
Captain's grill lunch/new. Not much to say about this one except location, location, location. It'll be nice to try out some of the restaurants on the "other" side of the World!!
Narcoosee's/new, party of 2 to celebrate our wedding anniversary the week prior. DS's request to go to the kids clubs has been granted, x2 this trip! Momma has a thing for surf n turf. DH and I like a nice bottle of wine to go with dinner. This was cut from the short list a few years ago, and it's another of my Disney must do's.
HWS day:
Sci-fi lunch. A repeat request from DS. What 9 y/o wouldn't love the place?
Fantasmic HBD package/new. Another on our "must check out" list. Going in with no expectations so that we can fairly judge the place. Looking forward to it, however.
Epcot Day:
LE Cellier lunch/repeat sort of. We had dinner here back when it was 1TS, figured we'd work it in, check out lunch, as we don't think that it's truly a 2TS dining experience (won't argue with anyone there!)
Flying Fish dinner/new. We've heard great things about this place. Very excited about this one too. Again, a late tweak to our plans, and I moved this back by an hour to make sure we weren't rushing from hither to yon.
MK/Pool day:
Tony's Town Square lunch/repeat. We did it for dinner on our first trip, but haven't checked out lunch. Simple menu with crowd pleasers for all. We were at 1900 park fare, but since we're only doing a 1/2 day at MK, I'd rather stay in park and cut down on our travel time.
Yachtsman dinner/new. The progeny will be excused to the sandcastle club for the evening again, as the kid's menu is lacking, in his humble opinion. So DH and I get to have 2 romantic dinners this trip!! Whoo Hoo!! Besides, DH and I used to wait tables at high end steakhouses, so if there's one thing we know, it's steak. To date, our best steak dinner has been at Morton's in Baltimore. If you're ever there, we recommend the proterhouse for 2, served tableside. We're curious to try out Disney's "best steak dinner" on the DDP.
MK Day
crystal Palace lunch/repeat, sort of. We've done breakfast and dinner here, but never lunch. This is a tradition every trip (DS's first favorite Disney character was Pooh) and I couldn't get it in our itinerary until this morning. DS will be fresh from The Pirate's League... willing to give it a lunch shot to save the hassle of traveling to a monorail resort just for lunch. This was another "down to the wire" change. I just can't leave those darn ADRs alone!!
California Grill dinner/repeat. An adult favorite. DS likes going to "fancy dinners"...makes him feel grown up. On our first trip, I had my very first Disney Food OMG moment. Goat Cheese Ravioli. And it was just the appetizer. Enough said. Delish.
HWS/Packing/pool
50's Prime time lunch/repeat for DS and I, new for DH. Another on my personal "must do for varying reasons" Disney dining experiences.
Citrico's dinner/new. Our last night's meal. Insert sad sigh here.
departure day
Breakfast at Cape May Cafe...insert even sadder sigh.
So that's it, our general plan. I'm going to consider it 100% done, as I tweaked 3 reservations just today, and IMO, you can't get any more last minute than that!
