Value Resorts and Inside Staterooms? Bah Humbug! 30 days of Disney fun! 02/10 Day 30

[dizneeat]

Alright, Via Napoli is on my list of places to eat on my next trip! Heaven on a plate indeed. I'm drooling just THINKING about it!

Good choice, Yuki! Tom and I HAD decided to just do one or two Disney TS in February, but so far A LOT of them are creaping back on my list! The things we do for our fellow readers here on the DISboards!

Karin, I made a lunch ADR for Via Napoli on our last day in the parks. We leave in 10 days! I also did a pre-trip report if you haven't seen it already. Can't wait to read more of your reports. The pictures are great.

Good choice, Teri! You are going to love it! It has a real "real Italy" feel to it and the food is yummyyyyyyyy! Mick is going to love it too!
Sorry I haven't answered back at your Pre trippie, but I will do so this weekend - last week was just crazy!

Hi, Karin. Popping in to say hi. We're here with Nicki now and spent 90 minutes with her this morning. Meeting for coffee again tomorrow a.m. and then dinner with her and Todd tomorrow night -- going Hibachi.

Thanks for popping in during your vacation, Kathy! I hope that you had and will still have a wonderful time with Nicki and Todd! I loved to read about Mark's win!

Karin....if you had to chose one, which would you chose, Via Napoli or Chefs de France? I have an ADR for both close to the same time, and will need to cancel one eventually. I have never been to either, and never been super excited about Chefs but heard good reviews. But now that I have read about Via, It looks soooo good.

Sorry, my answer is so late, Jen! It was quite a week, will tell you all about it later.
If I had to choose I'd go with Via Napoli. We went to Chefs de France this vacation too, and while it was a nice experience it was NOT stunning when it came to food.
The interaction with Remy was nice, esp. since Marie the cat was outside the window! But I don't think I would go there again for the food. We are just too spoiled as we can sample real French food whenever we go to DLRP.

Karin, I've now read through all your lovely reports and want to thank you for them! I can't believe we were "neighbors" for two weeks in August... I would have loved to meet you and Tom, but alas, didn't read this report until after we were both back home.

There's always next summer if you have room for a groupie in your trip! I enjoyed our two weeks at OKW so much (I'm now convinced that there's nothing like a long vacation), that I'm considering doing it again next summer.

Thank you for reading through all my reports!
Wow, we were neighbours in August? It would have been fun to meet you - well, we are booked for next summer? What about you?

OKW is just so relaxing and wonderful and long vacations ARE the best! And if our trips coinside again next summer we HAVE to meet!

We've made an ADR at Via Napoli b/c I can't stop thinking about those fried risotto balls. Plus, I told DH about the pizza they have and he was so IN!!! I have to have that dessert, too!!! Only 8 days now, nearly 7!

I guess we can start a countdown to the Arancini as well - that restaurant needs to be on my itinerary for February.
We had three desserts during our two visits there and they all were devine (I had the ricotta balls again - they were too tempting ) - so you can't go wrong with whatever you pick! Try the Aqua Fresca - it is 5$ per glass, but so refreshing!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi again! I just wasn't able to keep up PTR, I was trying to read too many and kept falling asleep I've caught up on your trip, and I'm really enjoying it! Congrats on the C-A-M-A-R-O upgrade! I think OKW looks so fun and festive - I really want to stay there sometime. Your strawberries and cream look yummy. We sometimes dip strawberries in brown sugar and sour cream for dessert - I was wondering when I saw the pic if that's what you were having. I'm looking forward to more - hope I can keep up this time!

 

[dizneeat]

Remember ME????

Yip, it's me ....... and I am back! I do apologize for not being back here more often, but it's been quite stressful since we returned.

We both had a hard time adjusting to the time change and working full time while doing so. Tom starts work at 4am!! and I have to get up at 5.20am so we both were struggling through week one. We more or less caught up on sleep right through the first weekend back home.

I thought I would be able to catch up on work around my home on Tuesday (my new day off! ) but no, our headmistress/principal decided Tuesday would be a nice day to go hiking! Well, it would have been, if it hadn't been my day off!!!!!!
Well, so we went hiking and had a picture perfect wonderful day!

Here are a few impressions of that day!

This weekend I tried to catch up on work around my house, I worked on our school trip to Vienna (had a few more things to book) and finally decided that our "cultural highlight" won't be a visit to a musical, but that we are all going to see the Blue Men Group, who are in Vienna at the right time for us!

And ............. I ordered our Disneyland Paris Halloween Party tickets! YEAH!! .......... fun fact - last year we swore that we won't go to the Halloween Party in Paris ever again, the park was packed, it was cold and we left around 2 1/2 hours into the party, since we were so tired. This year we will arrive the day before the party and stay for two more days after it .......... can't wait! We haven't been to anything Disney for two weeks now! It's about time we are going to visit Mickey again!

So, now that I have caught up on everyday life, I can now go back and update my trip report!

 

[dizneeat]

Hi again! I just wasn't able to keep up PTR, I was trying to read too many and kept falling asleep I've caught up on your trip, and I'm really enjoying it! Congrats on the C-A-M-A-R-O upgrade! I think OKW looks so fun and festive - I really want to stay there sometime. Your strawberries and cream look yummy. We sometimes dip strawberries in brown sugar and sour cream for dessert - I was wondering when I saw the pic if that's what you were having. I'm looking forward to more - hope I can keep up this time!

I am glad you were able to catch up with my trip report!
But I do understand as I find it very hard sometimes to keep up with all the trip reports I am subscribed to. I still am not up to date with all of what I missed during our vacation, but there is still hope!

We LOVE OKW, it is just like a little community of only happy people! It was one of the resorts I saw on TV first and thought I would never be able to stay there, then I got a really good deal for a studio with our AP and we got an upgrade to a 1 bedroom villa - now we are hooked! Those Disney people know what they are doing when they upgrade you!

We loved the strawberries and cream. But ours came with sweet whipped cream and it was heavely! I wish I could have some now!

 

[dizneeat]

Still Day 2, August 15

Enjoying life! Part 3

Then we slowly walked past China and

onto Malstroem in Norway, and

over to Mexico and then the International Gateway.

We enjoyed the stroll to the Yacht Club and were on our way to Old Key West. There we parked the car, and tried to pick up as many of our shopping bags as possible and walked up the stairs to our villa.

Once he had gotten to the kitchen he called out, “We got a surprise”. And there on the counter were two sets of Mickey ears, complete with rice-crispy treat and bows from our friends Stefy and Dave from England.

After taking pictures of our new ears, we tried them on and had fun.

We were both a bit tired though, so after putting away our groceries we relaxed on the couches and watched a little TV. It was going to be a long night, so we needed some rest. By 6.30 we arrived at the Contemporary Resort for our dinner reservation at The Wave. Since we had had a late lunch AND had sampled some of the snacks we had bought, we both were not very hungry and therefore decided against ordering a starter.

After we had ordered our main courses, they brought out some warm crusty bread and butter, sprinkled with sea salt. We both tried a bit, but we didn’t want to fill up on it too much.

Tom had ordered the Grilled Beef Tenderloin - port wine jus, potato and onion gratin and summer ratatouille. It did not fail to impress, very tender meat, tasty gratin that went well with the sauce and ratatouille. Tom loved it.

I went with the Apple Brined Pork Tenderloin - with Bourbon Sweet Mashed potatoes, warm spinach-bacon salad and Sassafras Jus, hoping that it would be a smaller portion, but it wasn’t. The pork was soft and tender and the infused sweet potatoes were so good, but I loved the fact that it came with a salad that was to die for. We both did our best to clean our plates.

I don’t need a dessert menu when it comes to The Wave,

the Creamy Indulgence -

Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis,

Coconut Panna Cotta with Passion Fruit Drizzle,

Chocolate-Passion Fruit Mousse with Pecan-Olive Brittle is what I get. And it was as good as I remembered.

Tom gave the Freshly Crafted Sorbets -

Lemon-basil,

Pineapple and

Strawberry a try and was impressed too. They all had very good taste and finished off the meal well.

We again used our Free Disney Dining Plan credits and then headed over to the Magic Kingdom to view the parade we had so hoped to see, the Main Street Electrical Parade.

To be continued .........

 

[DaveInTN]

Woo hoo!! An update!

Both of those meals at the Wave look fabulous. I could eat either one of those right now....or perhaps both!

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

Hi Karin,

Love the update.

We ended up having to cancel our ADR at the Wave. I can't wait to go back next year though. It looks so incredibly yummy!

The scenery during your hike looked amazing. Sorry it was on your day off though.

 

[tinacaplan]

Nice update. The Wave looks great, probably not a place we'll hit up anytime soon, though. So, now, how is is that you have Tuesdays off? That's fantastic!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Great updates, Karin! Hope you and Tom are feeling more rested now. How exciting about the MNSCHP tkts and 3 ngts!

I love the way your schools has the kids doing so many outdoor, healthy living type activities (although sorry it was on your day off!).

Wow! Think we might have to give The Wave a try next visit - looks delicious!

Glad I caught this update - will be off line for a few days - surgery is Tuesday.

Have a great week! Will check in the end of the week, I think.

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Loved seeing the pictures of the Wave! We'll be eating there in 6 days!

 

[jenseib]

I always feel hungry reading your posts!
The food looks great.
How do you get a Tuesday off when you are a teacher? I know things are run differently there, so just wondered how it works.

 

[MamaPotts]

Your hike looked lovely, even if it was on your day off. How old are "your" kids? It's amazing how kids are kids... no matter what continent they are on.

Your meals at The Wave do impress... I think we'll need to make ADRs there.

We'll try for our reservations at OKW at the 7-month mark. We're DVC members but OKW is not our home resort. We reserve at WL (our home resort) when we go in winter... it just seems "wintery" to us. OKW is our "summer cottage." It's also my son's first year in high school and I still don't know what plans are for next summer (he might have to work a bit over the summer to help as part of his scholarship, and also he might go on a community service mission). So dates are still up in the air but it defintely looks like August. This past August was mighty wet, no?

 

[englishrose47]

I love the Wave too !!I have had the Filet!!But your pork looks to die for !!My favorite trio of desserts is the no suger added one !!

 

[Stefy]

Yay you're back

Looks like you've been busy, gorgeous photos of your hike, so lovely and sunny

We are glad you and Tom liked the Ears and treats, just a little bit of from us to you

Wow your dinner at the Wave looks sooo good, that beef looks delish and those desserts

 

[dizneeat]

Woo hoo!! An update!

Both of those meals at the Wave look fabulous. I could eat either one of those right now....or perhaps both!

Yip, I finally got an update done - and I guess I still have a few more to come!
The Wave never fails to excite, we love the food and atmosphere! The pork was to die for!

Hi Karin,

Love the update.

We ended up having to cancel our ADR at the Wave. I can't wait to go back next year though. It looks so incredibly yummy!

The scenery during your hike looked amazing. Sorry it was on your day off though.

What a shame you had to cancel your Wave ADR - but on the other hand, something to look forward to next summer! The Wave comes highly recommended!

Actually I didn't mind the hike so much once we actually started hiking ! It's just that I had things planned for my day off and everything just needed to be cancelled!

Nice update. The Wave looks great, probably not a place we'll hit up anytime soon, though. So, now, how is is that you have Tuesdays off? That's fantastic!

Thank you!
Keep The Wave on your list - it IS worth a try.

How did I get Tuesdays off this year?
Teachers here have to do 21 lessons per week in a classroom - depending on your timetable you might end up with a few "windows" where you can prepare for lessons or do whatever pleases you. If you do not have any "windows" in your timetable you are free to spend your preparation time at home.
That said, in our school everyone has at least 1 afternoon off, most of us have 2 and some even 3.
I am one of the very few who prefers a morning off instead of an afternoon as I like to go to doctor's apointments and other things in the morning in my spare time. This year I was extra lucky as I got a morning AND an afternoon off and our headmistress/principal made sure they both fell on the same day to save me some time driving to and from school.

Great updates, Karin! Hope you and Tom are feeling more rested now. How exciting about the MNSCHP tkts and 3 ngts!

I love the way your schools has the kids doing so many outdoor, healthy living type activities (although sorry it was on your day off!).

Wow! Think we might have to give The Wave a try next visit - looks delicious!

Glad I caught this update - will be off line for a few days - surgery is Tuesday.

Have a great week! Will check in the end of the week, I think.

Tom and I are feeling "human" again, not walking around like we were sleepwalking! Thank you!

Didn't mind to go hiking once I found out it was such a beautiful day and Iove spending time with my class outside the classroom! Much more fun!

You definitely have to give The Wave a try! It's a wonderful restaurant!

And ........ here's lots of pixie dust and crossed fingers so your surgery goes well and you can come back here soon to play!

Loved seeing the pictures of the Wave! We'll be eating there in 6 days!

I envy you! No, honestly, enjoy that dinner and think of us poor Austrians, sitting in the cold while you enjoy The Wave and play in the sun!

 

[YukiPhnx]

Hey Karin!

I love that photo of your students' shadows on the bridge. Looked very cool! And pigs! I LOVE pigs!!

Mmmm, those desserts look wonderful.

How nice of your friends to send you personalized earhats! Are there photos of you two in them????

 

[dizneeat]

I always feel hungry reading your posts!
The food looks great.
How do you get a Tuesday off when you are a teacher? I know things are run differently there, so just wondered how it works.

If you feel hungry I am doing something right here, !

The Austrian school system is different to the US one - most of all, the teachers go to "visit" the pupils here, not the other way around like in the US.
This year I was real lucky that my two half days off fell on the same day! Thanks to my headmistress who made sure it worked that way!
(I explained to Tina in the previous post in great detail, how it worked. I don't question my headmistress' decision, if the consequence is a day off for me! )

Your hike looked lovely, even if it was on your day off. How old are "your" kids? It's amazing how kids are kids... no matter what continent they are on.

Your meals at The Wave do impress... I think we'll need to make ADRs there.

We'll try for our reservations at OKW at the 7-month mark. We're DVC members but OKW is not our home resort. We reserve at WL (our home resort) when we go in winter... it just seems "wintery" to us. OKW is our "summer cottage." It's also my son's first year in high school and I still don't know what plans are for next summer (he might have to work a bit over the summer to help as part of his scholarship, and also he might go on a community service mission). So dates are still up in the air but it defintely looks like August. This past August was mighty wet, no?

The kids in my class are 13 and 14 years old and this is my fourth year as their head teacher. We usually stay with them for the four years they are at our school.

Thanks for the insight on DVC. We thought about joining, but it doesn't support our style of travelling too well. You are so right - WL does have this wintery feel to it, esp. around Christmas time and OKW just screams summer fun! I LOVE the way OKW is spread out and looks like a little community - I feel right at home there.
Let me know your dates for August 2011 when you know them - we will be at WDW Aug 13 to 21 and Sept 1 - 10. Aug 21 to Sept 1 we will be on the Disney Dream. If our dates overlap we NEED to have a meet!
We did not experience to much rain while we were there in August, but we heard that it was quite wet while we were on the Wonder. Looks like we were mighty lucky!

I love the Wave too !!I have had the Filet!!But your pork looks to die for !!My favorite trio of desserts is the no suger added one !!

I've had the filet before and it is SO good, but I wanted to try something different and with the salad the pork was just perfect!
I like the no sugar added dessert tray too!

Yay you're back

Looks like you've been busy, gorgeous photos of your hike, so lovely and sunny

We are glad you and Tom liked the Ears and treats, just a little bit of from us to you

Wow your dinner at the Wave looks sooo good, that beef looks delish and those desserts

Yes, I am back, but it's almost time for you to leave! Have you packed yet?

Tom and I can't thank you enough for your surprise - we have our ears on display here, no more displaying of the rice-crispy ears though they were yummy!

We just love the Wave, but I guess everyone knows that now! You need to try for yourself one day. Maybe you could just walk over from the MK one day and just have a drink, to get a feel of the restaurant!

 

[dizneeat]

Hey Karin!

I love that photo of your students' shadows on the bridge. Looked very cool! And pigs! I LOVE pigs!!

Mmmm, those desserts look wonderful.

How nice of your friends to send you personalized earhats! Are there photos of you two in them????

Hi Yuki!

That shadow photo is nice, isn't it? They started posing when they saw me taking a picture of them!

I am not sure we have photos of ourselves wearing the ears, I will need to sort through the load of photos we have, but we did have them on display in our villa and now have them on display here at home!

 

[dizneeat]

Still Day 2, August 15

Enjoying life! Part 4

So, after our dinner we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. The park was still packed with people, so we got on the only ride you always can get on, the Peoplemover.
After finishing our round through Tomorrowland we decided it was time to stake out a spot to view the parade.

Main Street was packed, so we walked over to Liberty Square

and found a spot right at the rope, where we stood and waited for the parade to begin. It took us a while to realize it came from Main Street and we needed to be patient. But then, there it was, the music started and the lights were dimmed and finally the first floats made their way over to where we were standing.

The next few photos are especially for Dave! ......... his new found "friend"!

Back to the regular programme!

The Main Street Electrical Parade had been the first ever evening parade we had seen during our first visit to Disneyland and it was so much fun to see it again. A lot of photos later we decided that it already was time to head over to Main Street to watch Wishes. That is one fireworks show I won’t get tired of. We were a little early, so we strolled through the stores and made our way onto Main Street about 2 minutes before the fireworks started.

To be continued .........

 

[dizneeat]

Still Day 2, August 15

Enjoying life! Part 5

And another lot of photos later they had closed the park and Extra Magic Hours had begun. We decided on another ride on the Peoplemover, as the park was still packed,

then headed over to the Liberty Street Bridge to watch the parade one more time.

Dave's girl again .......

After the second parade we walked to Cosmic Rays

and Tom got a Frozen Cappuccino, while I got a Diet Coke and we sat and chilled for a while. The lines were still fairly long for most of the rides and we were already getting tired, well, by that time it was way past midnight, so we walked towards Adventureland, saw that the line for Pirates was reasonable and walked right in and onto the ride. But after the ride we were beat and decided to leave the park an hour early to finally catch up on some much needed sleep.