The Incredible Expanding Women - 14 days on the DxDP ~ COMPLETE!

[MrsB1228]

I'm here

, great to have you here!

 

[tluvstink]

You're off to a great start and I'm looking forward to the next installment. I would love to go to Ragland Road but I just don't like DTD (sacrilege I know) I may have to suck it up to give RR a try!

Terri

 

[RGirl]

Oh, your RR meal looks amazing!!!! I wish I was there now. We were actually planning on having our first WDW meal there on our August trip, but when we switched resorts, I ended up switching our ADR as well. I really hope we get to try RR one day - it always looks so delicious and so fun!

 

[MrsB1228]

You're off to a great start and I'm looking forward to the next installment. I would love to go to Ragland Road but I just don't like DTD (sacrilege I know) I may have to suck it up to give RR a try!

Terri

We never used to go to Downtown Disney much before we started taking longer trips. When we were only there for 5 - 7 days we optimized our time in the parks. I'm glad we decided to explore because we've discovered some great places to eat there. Raglan Road is awesome, and for quick service meals you can't beat Wolfgang Puck Express or Earl of Sandwich. If you decide to try RR sometime in future, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Oh, your RR meal looks amazing!!!! I wish I was there now. We were actually planning on having our first WDW meal there on our August trip, but when we switched resorts, I ended up switching our ADR as well. I really hope we get to try RR one day - it always looks so delicious and so fun!

Hi Roni! RR was wonderful, and is firmly on our must-do list every visit. It's definitely not a quiet place, but it's great fun and the food is delicious. I hope you get there one day!

 

[MrsB1228]

Thursday was our first full day at Disney and Epcot was on the agenda! We had an early lunch reservation at Via Napoli and since we both enjoyed it so much on our trip in 2011, we were really looking forward to it. Did it live up to our expectations? Read on ...

It was an absolutely gorgeous day with lots of sunshine. It was hot (around 90, I believe) but the humidity levels weren't that bad so it was more comfortable than I'm used to at that time of year in Florida. Actually, we had fabulous weather the entire two weeks we were there.

We arrived at our destination:

My beautiful sister:

Another shot of the exterior, so pretty!

We checked in and had a short wait as we were there before the restaurant officially opened. We were called and seated right at our reservation time of 11:30. Our server introduced himself immediately and brought us ice water right away. He explained what we could have on the deluxe plan and then left us to look over the menu.

We decided to share everything here so we could have a taste of different things. For appetizers, we ordered:

Proscuitto e Melone - Parma ham and cantaloupe.

This was delicious!! Such a simple dish but the flavour was out of this world. The melon was perfectly ripe and juicy and the contrast with the salty ham was wonderful. Nancy and I both give it 5/5.

Arancini - fried risotto balls filled with mozzarella and meat ragu.

Another winner! The crispy shell encompassed a filling that was cheesy, savoury and perfectly spiced. 5/5

For our entrees, we shared:

Candele - candle stick pasta, sausage ragu, polpettine meatballs, mozzarella, ricotta.

My apologies, I had already cut this in half before I remembered to take a picture. It looked much nicer when it arrived at the table, believe me, LOL!

This is my portion:

This was another excellent dish. Perfectly cooked and flavourful, we were both very happy with our choice. 5/5

For our other entree, we shared:

Quattro Formaggi Pizza - mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, provolone. Our server recommended adding some Parmacotto ham to the pizza. He said it was his favourite pizza and the addition of the ham just takes it over the top. He didn't steer us wrong, it was fabulous!! 5/5

Dessert time! Here's the menu:

Neither one of us really needed to look at the menu, we both knew what we wanted:

Coppa Brutti Ma Buoni - Amarena cherry and vanilla gelato sundae.

This is tied as my favourite dessert in WDW, it's seriously soooo good!! Nancy and I both loved it. 5/5

As you can see, Via Napoli received perfect scores from both of us. From start to finish, this was a wonderful experience. The food was delicious, served piping hot and service was excellent. Via Napoli is a must do for us and we'll definitely be back!

Up Next: Drinks at La Cava del Tequila.​

 

[Poohs100AcreWood]

LOVE your review so far!

I'm glad to finally see a RR review that ordered what I'm planning on ordering on Saturday when I arrive. I love ham and this looks wonderful!

 

[JMBB216]

That Quattro Formaggi with ham looks really good ... actually all of it looks good

 

[WildGinger]

Love your reviews! Via Napoli looks so good!

 

[MrsB1228]

After our delicious lunch at Via Napoli, we strolled through the World Showcase, popping into shops and checking out displays. Just overall soaking in the fact that we were back at Disney.

Some random WS photos:

Our wanderings eventually brought us back around to Mexico. We were both feeling hot and thirsty, a perfect excuse to pay a visit to La Cava del Tequila.

After looking over the bar menu, Nancy decided on the classic lime Margarita.

Classic - El Mayor premium silver Tequila, orange liqueur and lime mix, served on the rocks with salt on the rim.

I chose the Blood Orange Margarita.

Blood Orange - El Mayor premium silver Tequila, orange liqueur, sweet-tart mix of blood orange juice and hibiscus syrup, topped with wild berry foam served on the rocks.

They were both fantastic and very refreshing on that hot afternoon in Epcot. We wanted to return and sample another one but sadly we never made it back. Oh well, there's always next time!

We give La Cava del Tequila two thumbs up and 5/5 for good service and excellent Margaritas.

Up Next: Dinner at Le Cellier.​

 

[MrsB1228]

LOVE your review so far!

I'm glad to finally see a RR review that ordered what I'm planning on ordering on Saturday when I arrive. I love ham and this looks wonderful!

Oh, you're in for a treat!! That ham truly lived up to it's name, it was indeed heavenly. The sides were delicious as well, RR serves incredible Colcannon potatoes!

That Quattro Formaggi with ham looks really good ... actually all of it looks good

I've had that pizza a few times and have always enjoyed it but our server was correct, the addition of the ham made a very good pizza even better. We've always been very happy with our meals at VN!

Love your reviews! Via Napoli looks so good!

Thank you! So happy to have you join!

 

[johnsonginad]

Loving your reviews so far!!!

 

[MrsB1228]

Loving your reviews so far!!!

Thank you, and thanks for posting!

 

[MrsB1228]

Dinner that night was at one of our favourites, Le Cellier in the Canada pavillion. Being from Canada ourselves, it's always fun to go in and chat with the CM's, it's like a little bit of home in the middle of WDW.

I love the gardens here, they're supposed to be a reference to the incredible Butchard Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia. I visited the Gardens many years ago and they are absolutely spectacular! If you ever visit Victoria, B.C. I highly recommend making time to see them.

Meanwhile, here's a couple of pictures of the Epcot version:

Our reservation was for 7:00 pm and we were seated just a few minutes after 7. Our server was quick to welcome us and brought us some ice water right away. We took our time looking over the menu and then came to some decisions.

We decided to share appetizers again and ordered:

"Chef's Garden" Baby Beets - Roasted Beets, Vermont Creamery Goat Cheese, Pluot, Pistachio, Raspberry Vinaigrette.

Even though this appetizer contained goat's cheese (my sister and I aren't big fans) I have to admit it really worked with this salad. Nancy and I both love beets so this was right up our alley. The pluot is the red fruit you see at the front of the plate, in front of the crisp. It's a hybrid that combines a plum and apricot and is very sweet and delicious. 5/5

Assortment of Artisanal Cheeses - with Chef's Selection of Dried Fruits and Preserves

Here's the description of each cheese:

And a close-up:

We both love cheese and this was a nice selection. 4.5/5

There was no question what we would be ordering for our entrees:

"Le Cellier" Mushroom Filet Mignon" - AAA Canadian Beef Tenderloin, Wild Mushroom Risotto, Pickled Pearl Onions, White Truffle-Butter Sauce.

OMG!! This was absolutely amazing, as usual. We've been to Le Cellier many times and I can never bring myself to order anything else. The one thing I did notice this time is that it was saltier than usual. I know others have mentioned this in the past, but I never found it to be overly salty before. It didn't ruin the dish by any means, but I did notice it. It deserves 5/5, it was so tender, I never used my knife at all.

We ordered some coffee and had a look at the dessert menu.

We had saved a tiny bit of room so we chose:

Neopolitan Cappuccino Cake - Cappuccino Mousse, Caramel-Pretzel, and Chocolate Cake.

This was Nancy's selection and she really, really enjoyed it. She gave it 5/5.

White Chocolate Cheesecake - Citrus Shortbread Cookie, Seasonal Berries, and Raspberry Air.

This was my choice and it was lovely. I'm not really a big cheesecake fan but this one was fabulous. I was too full to make much of a dent in it, but what I had I really enjoyed. 5/5

Overall, Le Cellier gets 5/5 from us. Everything was delicious, our server had a good understanding of the menu and was very efficient and friendly. Our entrees were served piping hot (lukewarm food is a pet peeve of mine) so he got them out to us as soon as they were ready. Big pluses in my book.

Up Next: Lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe, Dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby (Fantasmic Package).​

 

[RGirl]

Your meal at Le Cellier looks soooo good! That cheese plate is so yummy.

 

[johnsonginad]

We ate at Le Cellier on our trip last spring and it was lovely! So glad you two enjoyed it!! =)

And that cheese plate? It looks DIVINE!!! I can't wait to start planning my next trip! We just got back a week ago, and did the regular DDP this time. Although it was nice, we found ourselves missing the DxDP immensely. We are definitely fans if being able to get an array of apps to try!!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[MrsPumpkin]

We're considering upgrading our free DDP to the Deluxe and am loving all these reviews of the DxDDP on the Dis

Can't wait to read more of yours and see all the photos too!

 

[DisneyJo]

Loving your reviews

 

[babydoll65]

Love the review so far. We have reservations for VIA napoli on our up coming trip and can't wait to try it.

 

[MrsB1228]

Your meal at Le Cellier looks soooo good! That cheese plate is so yummy.

It was delicious! The cheese was all wonderful, we both agreed the brie was our favourite, with the Beecher's running a very close second.

We ate at Le Cellier on our trip last spring and it was lovely! So glad you two enjoyed it!! =)

Glad you had a great experience too!

And that cheese plate? It looks DIVINE!!! I can't wait to start planning my next trip! We just got back a week ago, and did the regular DDP this time. Although it was nice, we found ourselves missing the DxDP immensely. We are definitely fans if being able to get an array of apps to try!!

The cheese plate was wonderful, Nancy and I enjoyed it immensely!

Can't wait to read more!

Thanks for reading!

We're considering upgrading our free DDP to the Deluxe and am loving all these reviews of the DxDDP on the Dis

We loved having the opportunity to try many of the Signatures. The DxDP works very well when you use it like that, but we did find it a lot of food, especially if you try to eat 3 TS meals a day. We ended up using some credits for QS instead, which probably isn't the best value. Having said that, upgrading from the regular DDP is a great way to give it a try!

Can't wait to read more of yours and see all the photos too!

Thank you! More reviews coming up!

Loving your reviews

Thanks so much!

Love the review so far. We have reservations for VIA napoli on our up coming trip and can't wait to try it.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Have a great trip and thanks for reading!

 

[emmysmommy]

Goodness! You are moving right along here. I'm already behind! But that's not a bad thing because now you've given me a craving for that ham at Raglan Road and the mushroom filet at Le Cellier. Em had the pavlova at RR and liked it a lot earlier this year.

Speaking of Le Cellier or rather the Canada area; we toured BC several years ago while in port for an Alaska cruise and it was so lovely. We saw the downtown area with the Empress Hotel and parliament building but I would love to return and see the beautiful gardens. If Epcot is just a taste of the real thing that would be awesome.

Ok, back to the food!! I've had the candele pasta before and it was delicious, certainly ample enough to split as you so wisely chose to do. That way you can enjoy pizza as well! Smart ladies.