Totally Last Minute Spring Fling! No DDP, Tons Of Pics! COMPLETE!

[jerseytinkerbell]

After our fabulous Kona breakfast we left for Magic Kingdom! It was hot and crowded, so we left MK in the early afternoon and took the Resort Launch back to Poly. I love taking the boat to Poly and GF instead of the monorail. It's always such a pleasant and realxing ride. After the boat docked at Poly we walked around the pool area and explored outside a little bit and headed into Poly through the back entrance.

This is definitely my favorite resort. So beautiful!

We walked upstairs to Kona Cafe and the restaurant was deserted. They still made us wait a minute for a table, so while we were waiting we looked over the lunch menu again.

Like I said, the restaurant was nearly empty, so naturally they seated us at one of the small tables that is one side booth seat and one side chair, right next to another couple. I felt like I was on top of them. We were going to ask to be moved, but the other couple looked like they were finishing their meal so we decided not to bother since they would probably be leaving in a minute anyway. As it turned out, we ended up leaving before they did. Isn't that always the case?

Hubby and I both decided on the Barbecue Pork Tacos. Pulled Pork slow-cooked in house-made barbecue sauce with tomato salsa and jalapeno-lime sour cream. This was served with pasta salad and smokey bacon slaw.

Close up on the Pasta Salad

Close up on the taco

The tacos were phenomenal! The pulled pork was so tender and the sour cream had a subtle but delicious flavor. I didn't taste any tomato salsa that was mentioned, but it did have some kind of cheese on there too, which was fabulous. The shell of the taco was so unique. Nothing like a normal flour taco shell. It was thick and had a nice flavor to it. Amazing!

The pasta salad was good too. Not a big pasta salad fan, but for pasta salad it was pretty tasty.

The smokey bacon slaw seemed neither smokey or bacony. It wasn't even slaw really. More of a tiny salad. Not very good, but I didn't care. I was more worried about the tacos than any of the side stuff.

We were pretty full so we passed on dessert even though the whole restaurant smelled like sugary treats.

When our server brought us the check she also gave us a plate with 2 small macaroons on it.

Hubby already snagged his before I could snap a picture. A very nice ending to our lunch. It turned out it was also our cheapest meal of the trip so far. For both our tacos and a soda for hubby it was about $28 before tip. Our breakfast here earlier in the day was more than that. Heck, we spent more than that at WPE and FTB. Major plus!

Up next... To Kona a third time or not to Kona a third time, that is the question

 

[TheNewMrsB]

Oh my goodness, I have such a soft spot in my heart for the Kona! I've only ever had the tonga toast & macadamia nut pancakes for breakfast, but I'm okay with that. But that Samoan looks good...!

And I love lunch & dinner there as well. Honestly, I've never had a bad meal there. So stinking delicious! I can't wait to get back!

 

[BlovesC]

Yaaaaaaaaaay!! Kona is my favorite resort TS for breakfast AND lunch/dinner, and I love when others enjoy it as much as we do! Your pics are fabulous! I really, really wish I liked pork, those tacos are so enticing...I think you've convinced me to try the fish tacos next time we go!

 

[disneyquilter]

DH and I are having the Presidio Passion and the Mint Bliss in September. I have never met a chocolate covered strawberry at Disney that I didn't like, so that is a shoe-in. In previous trips we always pass by Ghiradelli and say, we should try it and we never do. After seeing those ice cream pics - WE'RE IN!!

Kona Cafe is one of our favorite places to eat and this is the first trip we are not going (sad face). But as of now I am so trying to get my husband to already start planning a short trip (7 days instead of 10 - ) for 2013 as well (we normally go every 2-3 years but we aren't renewing our DL APs, so I am keeping my fingers crossed :good vibes )...so maybe, just maybe we can get back to Kona in a year .

Another awesome update!! Thank you so much for sharing

 

[TigerKat]

I'm so glad I've found someone else who is in love with "The Samoan"!! I LOVE that dish and still talk about it and it's been 4 months since I've had it. Thanks for the pics!!!

 

[TigerKat]

Ok thats it...I have got to get the Samoan! Every single time we go to Kona I say I am going to get it but never do and this past Oct I was all set to order it until they put a special menu in my hands that offered seasonal pumpkin pancakes! I just booked a secon breakfast at Kona so I can eat those pancakes and the Samoan! Question is should I order the Samoan on my first reservation or the second?

If you get it on your first one, be warned, you'll get it on your second as well!

 

[wilma-bride]

I have just one thing to say......Kona Cafe

OK, so I can't leave it there. Both your breakfasts and your lunch look amazing. I so hope you did a third trip for dinner. We have dinner booked for August and I am seriously considering adding a breakfast now. I am a huge Tonga Toast fan but the Big Kahuna looks great also - particularly those cheesy eggs Did you request them that way or is that how they come?

 

[smile4stamps]

Breakfast and lunch both look AMAZING!! Where can I fit a lunch reservation in!!

The Big Kahuna sounds like something I would order... either that or the Tonga Toast! Hubby I think would go for the Samoan!!

 

[MickeyNicki]

If you get it on your first one, be warned, you'll get it on your second as well!

I bet you are right



I think I will try a walk in for Kona lunch too...we ate there once and it was amazing and we were the only ones in the place so it was nice and quiet

 

[smiths02]

Ok thats it...I have got to get the Samoan! Every single time we go to Kona I say I am going to get it but never do and this past Oct I was all set to order it until they put a special menu in my hands that offered seasonal pumpkin pancakes! I just booked a secon breakfast at Kona so I can eat those pancakes and the Samoan! Question is should I order the Samoan on my first reservation or the second?

We had to change our Kona plans last minute on our last trip, and now it will probably be a couple of years until we get to go....but I am already wondering how I will decide between the Samoan and the Tonga Toast. DH is no help b/c he doesn't like banana and he would think the Samoan would be too weird.


And to OP...I have been lurking. Thanks for your reviews I am currently pregnant with twins and the only thing keeping me going is that DH says we can go to Disney sometime in the next 2-3 years

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

Loving this review!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Oh my goodness, I have such a soft spot in my heart for the Kona! I've only ever had the tonga toast & macadamia nut pancakes for breakfast, but I'm okay with that. But that Samoan looks good...!

And I love lunch & dinner there as well. Honestly, I've never had a bad meal there. So stinking delicious! I can't wait to get back!

Dinner is my favorite meal at Kona, but breakfast runs a close second. If they ever take the Tuna Oscar off the menu I will be a very sad girl. I see from your signature that you're stying at Poly soon. Very very jealous! I love Poly, but I haven't had the chance to stay there since I was 10. Can't wait to stay there again in the future!

Yaaaaaaaaaay!! Kona is my favorite resort TS for breakfast AND lunch/dinner, and I love when others enjoy it as much as we do! Your pics are fabulous! I really, really wish I liked pork, those tacos are so enticing...I think you've convinced me to try the fish tacos next time we go!

Same here! It's always nice to see others raving about it too. The fish tacos sounded delicious too! I love that Kona's lunch menu is so much different than their dinner menu. I hate when places only change up a few items from dinner or fill it with only sandwiches. Kona has such a variety for lunch!

DH and I are having the Presidio Passion and the Mint Bliss in September. I have never met a chocolate covered strawberry at Disney that I didn't like, so that is a shoe-in. In previous trips we always pass by Ghiradelli and say, we should try it and we never do. After seeing those ice cream pics - WE'RE IN!!

Kona Cafe is one of our favorite places to eat and this is the first trip we are not going (sad face). But as of now I am so trying to get my husband to already start planning a short trip (7 days instead of 10 - ) for 2013 as well (we normally go every 2-3 years but we aren't renewing our DL APs, so I am keeping my fingers crossed :good vibes )...so maybe, just maybe we can get back to Kona in a year .

Another awesome update!! Thank you so much for sharing

Oh my goodness, you're going to love it at Ghirardelli! Definitely a new favorite spot for me.

I hope you get to take another trip in 2013, but it's a shame you aren't renewing your DL APs. I am really trying to talk hubby into trying DL just one time, but it's very hard to get him on a plane. I did DL in 2005 with my fam but they've opened so many awesome rides since then and I would love to see all the new stuff! DL is no WDW, but it's still pretty darn cool!

I'm so glad I've found someone else who is in love with "The Samoan"!! I LOVE that dish and still talk about it and it's been 4 months since I've had it. Thanks for the pics!!!

Hubby really loves it too! I couldn't believe he almost didn't order it again when all he does it talk about it. I'm going to have to try it one of these times. It looks so tasty!

I have just one thing to say......Kona Cafe

OK, so I can't leave it there. Both your breakfasts and your lunch look amazing. I so hope you did a third trip for dinner. We have dinner booked for August and I am seriously considering adding a breakfast now. I am a huge Tonga Toast fan but the Big Kahuna looks great also - particularly those cheesy eggs Did you request them that way or is that how they come?

We actually didn't make it there for dinner. Very very sad. I love breakfast there! I can't do a trip without it now! The Big Kahuna was excellent and I did request cheese in the eggs and it wasn't any extra to do it. I ask for cheese in my eggs when we go to diners or Cracker Barrel at home and they always charge me for it, so the fact that Disney didn't charge me is kind of amazing!

Breakfast and lunch both look AMAZING!! Where can I fit a lunch reservation in!!

The Big Kahuna sounds like something I would order... either that or the Tonga Toast! Hubby I think would go for the Samoan!!

Everything at Kona is so darn good! It's getting hard to choose! If you end up with an unexpected available lunch time you could always pop over to Poly and grab lunch there. It was so empty in there that I doubt you would ever need to make a reservation for lunch.

I think I will try a walk in for Kona lunch too...we ate there once and it was amazing and we were the only ones in the place so it was nice and quiet

I'm surprised that Kona doesn't get much lunch business. You would think it would be a popular place with no lunch at 'Ohana.

And to OP...I have been lurking. Thanks for your reviews I am currently pregnant with twins and the only thing keeping me going is that DH says we can go to Disney sometime in the next 2-3 years

Thanks for joining in! Wow, twins, congrats! In 2-3 years your twins will be at such a fun age for WDW!

Loving this review!

Thank you so much!

 

[gardengirl628]

We love Kona for breakfast and dinner. Now thinking might have to try lunch!

That pasta salad looked yummy!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

We love Kona for breakfast and dinner. Now thinking might have to try lunch!

That pasta salad looked yummy!

I'm so glad we tried lunch there. You should definitely give it try too!

The pasta salad was pretty tasty and I don't really even like pasta salad. Even hubby ate most of his and he REALLY doesn't like pasta salad.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

After lunch at Kona we headed back to SSR, but first, a pitstop. On our last trip we stopped at the Hess station by the TTC for gas on our way home and discovered the most elusive thing in all of WDW... cheap booze! We made a mental note of this and now on our way back to SSR I suggested we stop there since we were driving right past it. We picked up a few items to take back to the hotel and then we were on our way, adult beverages in hand.

We had a nice relaxing afternoon at the Congress Park quiet pool and did laundry at the facilities located in the pool area, which are free by the way. Little tip for those of you headed to SSR. We headed back to the room to get ready for dinner at Kona. We had to walk up to Community Hall to return our DVD rentals and when we came outside the sky was looking awfully dark. We were already kind of on the fence about going back to Kona for dinner as it was, and now the stormy weather made us want to stay at the hotel and curl up with a few more DVD rentals.

When we came out of Community Hall we saw some lightning followed by some very loud thunder. Hubby wanted to just walk to Turf Club, but I wasn't interested in Turf Club at all. I wanted WPE again. I didn't think we would beat the rain if we walked over to DTD, so we sat and waited for the bus under a small tent that was set up in the parking lot of Congress Park since the bus stop was currently closed for some kind of maintenance. As soon as we got under the tent it started to POUR!!!!!! We waited about 10 minutes for a DTD bus and when we got off the bus at Marketplace we ran all the way to WPE.

We decided to get our meal to go so that we could have a picnic in the room and waited at a table for them to box up our food. By the time they brought out our food it had stopped raining hard, so rather than deal with a bus back to SSR we decided to walk QUICKLY back to our room. Here is the view of DTD from the SSR walkway.

Look at that sky! Yikes! We JUST made it back to the room before it started to pour again. We cleared off the table in our room and set up our delicious dinner.

One of my boozy treats I got from the Hess station.

Hubby decided to go back to his WPE favorite this time. He opted for the Meatloaf sandwich with provolone, bacon, tomato chutney, horseradish cream and crispy onions

Close up

He was in love with this sandwich! He said, "Why do I ever get anything but this when I come here?" He is a big big fan of this sandwich.

I got the Four Cheese Pesto Pizza with Parmesan, mozzarella, fontina, goat cheese, plum tomatoes, fresh basil, sun-tomatoes.

Close up on a slice of pizza.

A little slice of heaven in a pizza box! The sundried tomatoes are my favorite part. The crust on the pizza is absolutely perfect, not too thick and not too thin. Fantastic!

We also both got a slice of the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake.

Close up

I think this might be my favorite cheesecake ever. Hubby said the same thing and he is a cheesecake connoisseur. I love the creme brulee top on this cheesecake and the actual cheesecake is so rich and creamy. Delish!

As much as I hated to miss out on a dinner at Kona Cafe I was glad we didn't put out a ton of money on dinner and stayed in and relaxed in the rain. You really can't ever go wrong at WPE, so it was a great dinner choice once again.

Up next... WPE breakfast!

 

[wilma-bride]

Wow, I love cheesecake - it is my favourite dessert - and that looks like an amazing piece of cheesecake. I have never had dessert at WPE. DH always gets the creme brulee and I fear I may have to try the cheesecake next time we are there. Won't be August as, at this rate, we will be eating about 5 meals a day to fit in everywhere we want to try or go back to

 

[scanne]

My DS loves cheesecake and creme brulee....he may just pass out with them both combined in one lovely dessert....

Curious about breakfast at WPE.....can't wait for that one!

 

[abbadabbadoo]

So glad I found your new report!!! We are returning to WDW in October and are so looking forward to trying a few new things - waffle sandwiches for starters!!!! Happy to see your report of Kona breakfast - trying that for the first time this year!! Great job!

 

[JerseyJanice]

That 4 cheese pizza is what I want to try when I make it to WPE.

Not only does it look delicious in photographs, it sounds a lot like the 4 cheese pizza I used to get at Pizzeria Uno in the early 90's. It was their deep dish crust covered with pesto, topped with 4 cheeses and fresh tomato slices. How I loved that pie!

And that cheesecake! Wow!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Wow, I love cheesecake - it is my favourite dessert - and that looks like an amazing piece of cheesecake. I have never had dessert at WPE. DH always gets the creme brulee and I fear I may have to try the cheesecake next time we are there. Won't be August as, at this rate, we will be eating about 5 meals a day to fit in everywhere we want to try or go back to

There are so many awesome places to eat in WDW that you really do need to eat that many meals a day to fit it all in. I told hubby that I'm making a list of every place I want to eat in WDW and then we will book our vacation around fitting in every single meal I want to eat. I think that would make our next trip about 37 days. If we go during F&W make it an even 40. A girl can dream can't she!

My DS loves cheesecake and creme brulee....he may just pass out with them both combined in one lovely dessert....

Curious about breakfast at WPE.....can't wait for that one!

He will love that cheesecake! It really is fantastic! Breakfast at WPE is excellent too. I wish I could fit in more breakfasts there every trip because there is so much I want to try.

So glad I found your new report!!! We are returning to WDW in October and are so looking forward to trying a few new things - waffle sandwiches for starters!!!! Happy to see your report of Kona breakfast - trying that for the first time this year!! Great job!

Thanks for joining in! Kona breakfast is always amazing! In fact, hubby asked me what I wanted for breakfast this morning and I said, "Big Kahuna" in a really sad voice. If only I could get that breakfast in the 'real world.'

That 4 cheese pizza is what I want to try when I make it to WPE.

Not only does it look delicious in photographs, it sounds a lot like the 4 cheese pizza I used to get at Pizzeria Uno in the early 90's. It was their deep dish crust covered with pesto, topped with 4 cheeses and fresh tomato slices. How I loved that pie!

And that cheesecake! Wow!

That Uno pizza sounds good! You're making me hungry!