We crushed our schedule! A May 2011 TR (Completed and new TR started)
- Thread starter Chaitali
- Start date
Chaitali
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Yep, we're hoping to take a trip to the U.K. next year so the extra money would definitely go to a good use!
I love your pics of AK - they all look awesome!I can't wait to experience all the things you guys did - am glad you enjoyed the trails and FOTLK lived up to its expectations!
I'm a bit sad to read that you did not enjoy Kali River Rapids. Can't wait to read about V&A!
Animal Kingdom really was a great park and we both loved the level of detail we saw everywhere. I hope you guys enjoy it too
As far as KRR, we both love raft rides and have been on some good ones. This one just seemed half hearted. I never thought I'd think that a queue was better than the ride itself!Iv'e just read your trip report so far and it looks like you have had a fab time so far
Welcome! We absolutely had a wonderful time. It looks like you'll be there soon yourself. Hope you have a wonderful trip too
407-W-DISNEY
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- Nov 23, 2009
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We love just walking around and taking in all the details!! There is sooo much to see.
Love your pics....especially the birds...they are beautiful
Love your pics....especially the birds...they are beautiful
pinkxray
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- Sep 4, 2009
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- 5,383
Your pictures of AK are awesome. Great shot of the tiger. They are always smushed against the wall when I try to get a picture.
I didn't like the jalenpeno pretzel either. Glad I am not the only one, people seem to love it.
Love the pictures of Lion King and Rope drop. Two things I have missed over the years, but hope to see someday.
I didn't like the jalenpeno pretzel either. Glad I am not the only one, people seem to love it.
Love the pictures of Lion King and Rope drop. Two things I have missed over the years, but hope to see someday.
itsalebeau
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Such great photos! I love the warthog. Subbing!
Chaitali
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Thank you! I was using a Canon T1 dslr. I had a zoom lens on that day (55-200) which really helps with the animal shots. It's great to be able to get close up shots of the animals.
I'm not usually into birds but the aviary set up there was amazing. I loved how close the birds were and they had such beautiful, unusual species. This was the first time I've been there and I was really impressed with all the details at Animal Kingdom.
Thanks
Animal Kingdom definitely lent itself to great photography! Inspiration was all around. Though I think that can be said of most of Disney World.
Chaitali
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I think we were there at the right time for the tigers. One was smooshed up against the wall in the shade but the other was walking around. However, within 5 minutes she also walked over the rest in the shade. One of teh CMs there told us that all the tigers there are female and that the males are much more aggressive.
Yeah, I had heard great things about that pretzel too so I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that didn't like it! The rope drop show was cute, but short so I wouldn't get up early just for that. But the Festival of the Lion King is definitely worth planning to see!
Welcome and thanks! The warthog was visually interesting because he blended in great with the rock around him. I love how he found some shade but then kept his face in the sun!
Chaitali
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Since I forgot to include any photo pass photos in the previous posts, I'm including some here
Photopass tree of life2 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
Photopass Everest by Chaita_1, on Flickr
Photopass Lions by Chaita_1, on Flickr
In this last one, the photopass photographer told us to act like a lion
Photopass tree of life2 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
Photopass Everest by Chaita_1, on Flickr
Photopass Lions by Chaita_1, on Flickr
In this last one, the photopass photographer told us to act like a lion
Chaitali
DIS Veteran
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- Jan 2, 2011
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- 1,622
So when I first started researching our Disney trip, I didn't have high expectations for fancy food, or really any expectations. I pretty much just hoped I'd be able to find vegetarian options. Of course I was excited when I saw that there were a wealth of options available, from casual to exquisite. And when I read about Victoria and Albert's, I knew that I wanted to celebrate our anniversary there. I've read about a lot of tasting menus but have never been able to try one because there are very few restaurants that will offer a full six course vegetarian menu. It was the first dining reservation we made for our Disney trip.
After our pool time, I have to admit I did something stupid. I was hungry and I had a donut. Why would I do that when we were going to have a six course dinner!?! I don't know what I was thinking. I really should not have had anything to eat at all after our lunch at pizzafari. But I guess I just wasn't thinking ahead. We had decided that we would take a cab to dinner since we were a bit dressed up and didn't want to deal with the bus and monorail. We left about an hour before our dinner reservation, and the hotel called a cab for us. It was there in less than 5 minuted and cost around $15 to get to the Grand Floridian. Since we were still way too early for dinner, we checked out the resort and ended up sitting outside on the beach for a little bit.
IMG_0414 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0418 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0419 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
We checked in at the restaurant about 15 minutes before our reservation time and they sat us within 5 minutes with a Happy Anniversary greeting. I received a little ottoman to put beside my chair so I had somewhere to put my camera. It was a little chilly in the restaurant (I'm sure the temperature is set for men in suits) so I'm glad I had a shawl with me. The service was impeccable here and there was live harp music. I noticed that he was even playing songs from Les Miserables (which I love) at one point.
IMG_0421 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0422 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
Our waitress came out with our menus, a vegetarian menu for me and a regular menu for Mike. The vegetarian menu only had one option for most of the courses but the regular menu had three or four options for each course. We were asked to make our selections for each course at the beginning, which I don't have a problem with. They offer a wine pairing for an extra cost but I decided against it. If I drank that much wine Mike would have to roll me home! I opted for a glass of the Rosa Regale(sparkling and delicious) instead and Mike had sweet tea, which he loved. In addition to the courses I'm going to describe below, there were three bread courses that I don't remember the details of and don't have any photos of. But they were all freshly made by the pastry chef that day and accompanied by different butters. Also, I think there was less light on Mike's side of the table so as the photos he took of his food came out a bit dark.
IMG_0423 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0424 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
We were started off with an amuse bouche. Mike's was Lobster 4 ways and I had a deviled quail egg, bruschetta, butternut squash soup and a ravioli.
IMG_0425 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0426 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
My first course was a carpaccio of roasted beets an Mike's was applewood smoked buffalo waldorf. Mine was a lot better than it sounds here. Various types of beets, with petite bibb lettuce, artichokes, a parmesan crisp and a vinaigrette that made for a great mix of flavors. Mike says that the buffalo was yummy.
IMG_0427 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0428 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
My second course was a vegetable ratatouille in calamarata pasta. This was clever. As this was supposed to be the fish course, the pasta was shaped into rings that looked like calamari and the ratatouille was placed inside the rings. The presentation was gorgeous and it tasted great. Mike had the diver scallop with braised fennel and a blood orange gastrique. He says it was delicious.
IMG_0430 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0431 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
The third course was my favorite. I had truffle gnocchi with hedgehog mushrooms and truffle foam. It also had some shaved truffles on top. This ranks up there with one of the best things I've ever eaten. The broth was rich and earthy and the gnocchi were amazingly delicate. Though I was beginning to get full at this point and realized that I would have to pace myself, so I didn't quite finish all of it. Two of the bread courses had already been brought out at this point and I realized that I probably should have just had a small bite (instead of a big chunk) of each of the breads. Mike had the duck breast with duck sausage, and confit with strawberry-rhubarb puree.
IMG_0432 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0433 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
Ok, now for the entree course. I was already pretty full by this point so I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I otherwise might have. Stupid donut! My entree was a mix of various vegetables, a tiny red cabbage tart, stewed french lentils, and a small bowl of rice pilaf. It was a gorgeous plate and most of it was pretty good. The lentils were the best lentils I've ever had, and as a vegetarian, I've had a lot of lentils. The potatoes on the plate were divine and the rice was really good. The green beans and the carrots were fine but nothing to write home about. I didn't finish my plate again and the waitress seemed a little concerned. I assured her that there was nothing wrong with the food, but I just wanted to make sure to leave room for dessert! Mike's entree was the Kurobuta pork tenderloin and belly with bacon vinaigrette. He said this one was his favorite course.
The cheese course had the same 2 options for both our menus, either the cheese plate or the white chocolate gelato. I got the cheese plate and Mike got the gelato. Sadly I didn't get photos of this course and I literally only had one bite of each cheese and accompaniment
They were all delicious, and the accompaniments were chosen really well to compliment each cheese but I was struggling! The cheeses were a stilton, a parmigiano-reggiano, a burrata and a blue cheese.
IMG_0434 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0435 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
Thankfully, I revived my appetite in time for dessert The waitress had recommended the carmelized banana gateau as her favorite and I went with her recommendation. I'm not generally a big banana person but she raved about this dessert. I'm really glad I went with her advice. It was amazing! There was a little sponge-y banana cake served inside a macadamia nut tuile with banana custard and caramelized banana slices. In spite of my level of full-ness I pretty much demolished this plate of dessert. Mike had the Hawaiian Kona chocolate souffle. It was good, but very rich. I think he only managed to eat half of it. We didn't get the coffee though I saw it at other tables. It looked very impressive but I just couldn't manage anything extra at that point.
IMG_0436 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
We were then given little candies (friandises) and a rose for me I asked for the candies to be boxed so we could have them the following day. They also gave us a little orange/cranberry bread for the following day and personalized menus to take home as souvenirs.
IMG_0429 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
Overall, it was a lovely experience. We both felt it was absolutely worth the $125 per person for a special meal. Especially for me because there are not many places where you can have a full vegetarian tasting menu of this caliber. I'm only sorry that my appetite was not up to the experience. Definitely should have thought ahead and cut out the snacks earlier in the day! And I had bought the Tables in Wonderland card so we got 20% off thanks to that. As we were leaving, the maitre'd asked if we had valet parked and I mentioned we would be getting a cab. He said that he would call a cab for us and it would be waiting for us by the time we got downstairs. I thought that was a little quick, but it was waiting for us in front of the hotel as soon as we got down there. This was the only bitter bit in the evening as the cabbie completely overcharged us for the trip. He must have taken the long way back to POR but I hadn't familiarized with the roads since we weren't doing any driving. There is no way it took $15 to get there and $22 to get back. Not a large amount but it just annoyed me. It was late and we didn't want to deal with it so we just paid him (no tip) and chalked it up to experience.
After our pool time, I have to admit I did something stupid. I was hungry and I had a donut. Why would I do that when we were going to have a six course dinner!?! I don't know what I was thinking. I really should not have had anything to eat at all after our lunch at pizzafari. But I guess I just wasn't thinking ahead. We had decided that we would take a cab to dinner since we were a bit dressed up and didn't want to deal with the bus and monorail. We left about an hour before our dinner reservation, and the hotel called a cab for us. It was there in less than 5 minuted and cost around $15 to get to the Grand Floridian. Since we were still way too early for dinner, we checked out the resort and ended up sitting outside on the beach for a little bit.
IMG_0414 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0418 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0419 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
We checked in at the restaurant about 15 minutes before our reservation time and they sat us within 5 minutes with a Happy Anniversary greeting. I received a little ottoman to put beside my chair so I had somewhere to put my camera. It was a little chilly in the restaurant (I'm sure the temperature is set for men in suits) so I'm glad I had a shawl with me. The service was impeccable here and there was live harp music. I noticed that he was even playing songs from Les Miserables (which I love) at one point.
IMG_0421 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0422 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
Our waitress came out with our menus, a vegetarian menu for me and a regular menu for Mike. The vegetarian menu only had one option for most of the courses but the regular menu had three or four options for each course. We were asked to make our selections for each course at the beginning, which I don't have a problem with. They offer a wine pairing for an extra cost but I decided against it. If I drank that much wine Mike would have to roll me home! I opted for a glass of the Rosa Regale(sparkling and delicious) instead and Mike had sweet tea, which he loved. In addition to the courses I'm going to describe below, there were three bread courses that I don't remember the details of and don't have any photos of. But they were all freshly made by the pastry chef that day and accompanied by different butters. Also, I think there was less light on Mike's side of the table so as the photos he took of his food came out a bit dark.
IMG_0423 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0424 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
We were started off with an amuse bouche. Mike's was Lobster 4 ways and I had a deviled quail egg, bruschetta, butternut squash soup and a ravioli.
IMG_0425 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0426 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
My first course was a carpaccio of roasted beets an Mike's was applewood smoked buffalo waldorf. Mine was a lot better than it sounds here. Various types of beets, with petite bibb lettuce, artichokes, a parmesan crisp and a vinaigrette that made for a great mix of flavors. Mike says that the buffalo was yummy.
IMG_0427 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0428 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
My second course was a vegetable ratatouille in calamarata pasta. This was clever. As this was supposed to be the fish course, the pasta was shaped into rings that looked like calamari and the ratatouille was placed inside the rings. The presentation was gorgeous and it tasted great. Mike had the diver scallop with braised fennel and a blood orange gastrique. He says it was delicious.
IMG_0430 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0431 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
The third course was my favorite. I had truffle gnocchi with hedgehog mushrooms and truffle foam. It also had some shaved truffles on top. This ranks up there with one of the best things I've ever eaten. The broth was rich and earthy and the gnocchi were amazingly delicate. Though I was beginning to get full at this point and realized that I would have to pace myself, so I didn't quite finish all of it. Two of the bread courses had already been brought out at this point and I realized that I probably should have just had a small bite (instead of a big chunk) of each of the breads. Mike had the duck breast with duck sausage, and confit with strawberry-rhubarb puree.
IMG_0432 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0433 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
Ok, now for the entree course. I was already pretty full by this point so I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I otherwise might have. Stupid donut! My entree was a mix of various vegetables, a tiny red cabbage tart, stewed french lentils, and a small bowl of rice pilaf. It was a gorgeous plate and most of it was pretty good. The lentils were the best lentils I've ever had, and as a vegetarian, I've had a lot of lentils. The potatoes on the plate were divine and the rice was really good. The green beans and the carrots were fine but nothing to write home about. I didn't finish my plate again and the waitress seemed a little concerned. I assured her that there was nothing wrong with the food, but I just wanted to make sure to leave room for dessert! Mike's entree was the Kurobuta pork tenderloin and belly with bacon vinaigrette. He said this one was his favorite course.
The cheese course had the same 2 options for both our menus, either the cheese plate or the white chocolate gelato. I got the cheese plate and Mike got the gelato. Sadly I didn't get photos of this course and I literally only had one bite of each cheese and accompaniment
They were all delicious, and the accompaniments were chosen really well to compliment each cheese but I was struggling! The cheeses were a stilton, a parmigiano-reggiano, a burrata and a blue cheese.IMG_0434 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
IMG_0435 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
Thankfully, I revived my appetite in time for dessert
The waitress had recommended the carmelized banana gateau as her favorite and I went with her recommendation. I'm not generally a big banana person but she raved about this dessert. I'm really glad I went with her advice. It was amazing! There was a little sponge-y banana cake served inside a macadamia nut tuile with banana custard and caramelized banana slices. In spite of my level of full-ness I pretty much demolished this plate of dessert. Mike had the Hawaiian Kona chocolate souffle. It was good, but very rich. I think he only managed to eat half of it. We didn't get the coffee though I saw it at other tables. It looked very impressive but I just couldn't manage anything extra at that point.IMG_0436 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
We were then given little candies (friandises) and a rose for me
I asked for the candies to be boxed so we could have them the following day. They also gave us a little orange/cranberry bread for the following day and personalized menus to take home as souvenirs. IMG_0429 by Chaita_1, on Flickr
Overall, it was a lovely experience. We both felt it was absolutely worth the $125 per person for a special meal. Especially for me because there are not many places where you can have a full vegetarian tasting menu of this caliber. I'm only sorry that my appetite was not up to the experience. Definitely should have thought ahead and cut out the snacks earlier in the day! And I had bought the Tables in Wonderland card so we got 20% off thanks to that. As we were leaving, the maitre'd asked if we had valet parked and I mentioned we would be getting a cab. He said that he would call a cab for us and it would be waiting for us by the time we got downstairs. I thought that was a little quick, but it was waiting for us in front of the hotel as soon as we got down there. This was the only bitter bit in the evening as the cabbie completely overcharged us for the trip. He must have taken the long way back to POR but I hadn't familiarized with the roads since we weren't doing any driving. There is no way it took $15 to get there and $22 to get back. Not a large amount but it just annoyed me. It was late and we didn't want to deal with it so we just paid him (no tip) and chalked it up to experience.
itsalebeau
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2010
- Messages
- 209
That meal looks fantastic. So beautiful!!
TanzUnited99
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2010
- Messages
- 3,942
Great photopass pics - am still debating whether to order it or not. Am leaning more towards no but we shall see...
Wow at your V&A review - what a great way to celebrate your anniversary!
I loved the way you described each course especially the truffle gnocchi!
I hate when cab drivers take the long way on purpose - it's not nice.
Wow at your V&A review - what a great way to celebrate your anniversary!
I loved the way you described each course especially the truffle gnocchi! I hate when cab drivers take the long way on purpose - it's not nice.
407-W-DISNEY
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2009
- Messages
- 596
V&A sounds wonderful....so men have to wear a suit?? not sure I could get my DH to do that on vacation...mabye...but I would be terrified I would use the wrong fork or something..
Glad you have a fantastic experince, you look so pretty in that picture
What is it with the cabbies lately???? shame on him!!!
Glad you have a fantastic experince, you look so pretty in that picture
What is it with the cabbies lately???? shame on him!!!
Darkfirewolfe
Poly Fan and Disney Addict
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2010
- Messages
- 166
I did not know that V&A had a vegetarian menu!! Your meal looked fantastic!! mmmmmm. makes me hungry - especially the beet salad.
Chaitali
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2011
- Messages
- 1,622
Yay! It's pricey but worth it, in my opinion. They can even do a vegan menu with advance notice. My understanding is that they're pretty accommodating with dietary restrictions.
It was almost too beautiful to eat, but not quite!
Great photopass pics - am still debating whether to order it or not. Am leaning more towards no but we shall see...
Wow at your V&A review - what a great way to celebrate your anniversary!
I hate when cab drivers take the long way on purpose - it's not nice.
I'm glad we did the photopass, but it turned out that you had to be willing to take a break from your schedule and seek out the photographers. I kind of felt like I had to stop in different places b/c we pre-paid for the CD. It's nice to have so many photos of us together, but we certainly wouldn't have stopped so much otherwise. And they were definitely happy to take photos for us with our camera, so it's certainly not necessary to pay for the cd to have photos of both of you.
V&A sounds wonderful....so men have to wear a suit?? not sure I could get my DH to do that on vacation...mabye...but I would be terrified I would use the wrong fork or something..
Glad you have a fantastic experince, you look so pretty in that picture
What is it with the cabbies lately???? shame on him!!!
Well, men don't have to wear a suit, just a jacket. I think khakis and a blazer or something would probably be fine. A tie isn't required. And don't worry, it really didn't feel too snooty
Everyone was very nice, so I don't think it would matter if you did anything "incorrectly," whatever that means. I think they brought out the silverware for each course separately, if I remember correctly. All that food might have damaged my memory!Thanks for the comment about the photo. That was the only time the whole trip that I wore any make-up. I figured I could do that much if Mike was going to wear a jacket!
I did not know that V&A had a vegetarian menu!! Your meal looked fantastic!! mmmmmm. makes me hungry - especially the beet salad.
It was amazing. And Mike's not a fan of beets so I don't get to make them too much at home.
Yep, they note down food restrictions and I even got a call a couple days before the reservation to go over the food restrictions again. I've read reports of people who've had gluten free meals, who are allergic to seafood, etc. having good meals there too.
V&A's looks amazing!!
We went to California Grill, which is supposed to be great for vegetarians too
We went to California Grill later in the week and we both loved it also! It did indeed have good vegetarian options right on the menu, so not special requests needed. It's so much easier that way! And of course, the view can't be beat.
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