How EMH saved our trip-Doing the World on West Coast Time! Completed. Stop by my PTR!

[MEK]

Originally Posted by eandesmom

Our week of gluttony in review.

First off I want to state how much we LOVED the DDP.

And now,

a trip dining recap……

On this trip we went to ALL new places, both for TS and CS.

We dined at

Table Service

• Biergarten LIKE
• Teppan Edo Love
• 
  Kona Love
• Boma Love
• HDDR Love
• PTC Love
• HOB (OOP) What is this? I am having a senior moment!

[Top Snacks


[LIST][*]Yak and Yeti Egg Rolls! Have to try these!

Epcot
#1 in TS options
#1 in CS options
Agreed!


hypothetical ADR list for my mythical 2010 trip.





Dinner Top Choices:

• Turf Club Haven't tried and this is my home resortlol!
• California Grill Love this, but I would go without all the kids! Can be a very romantic evening, especially at one of those tables for two near the window!
• Les Chefs Enjoyed this, although my family didn't and I still have no idea why. I think because it was day 7 of a 7 day trip and the food was too much by this point
• Ohana This is seriously at the top of my must do list. I love this place. I have eaten there three times.
• Olivias Never tried
• SanaabNever tried
• Tokyo Dining Never tried
• anywhere I get in on a fantasmic package! I have eaten at Mama Melrose several times and I have no complaints. I also liked H&V, but it is a buffet.

Dinner Second Choices:

• Raglan Road Never tried
• NarcoseesGoing soon
• Citricos Never tried
• The Wave Very good. And easy to get an ADR. Definately would do again
• Coral Reef Other than the fish tank there is no need to eat here. It gets bad reviews and its not a lot of food. Ate here once....it was a cool atmosphere, but the food was eh.
• Yak and Yeti Want to try this in Sept and can't get an ADR. ugghhh!
• Teppan Edo (yes, this breaks the all new rule) This is definately a do-over in my book

Breakfast:

• Chef Mickeys Only ever had dinner here
• Konathe french toast is supposed to excellent. Still toying with the possibility of breakfast here in Sept
• Cape May I love the BC, so that alone is reason for me to eat here. Plus the characters are so cute and the food is good, IMHO. I don't think you can really ruin breakfast. I also like that you can get a late ADR 1055....so its practically lunch

I would also recommend the Crystal Palace for breakfast because its puts you in the MK and Eeyore is there.

Counter Service
If it works out I'd like to try

• Columbia Harbour House Good and quiet upstairs with good view of HH
• Boulangerie Patisserie (which we wanted to go to but no one wanted to hike back to France)Crowded
• Flame Tree BBQ Liked, but I reverse to eat outside in the summer heat. This is strictly a cool weather visit for me
• Earl of Sandwich Very good sandwiches and lots and lots of choices

Sorry. I am too lazy to cut and paste today (and most days for that matter), but above are my humble opinions. Thanks for the great dining review. Love it....so much detail! Can't wait to hear about the parks!

[cjackearl]

I love your dining recap! ITA regarding the dining plan. It was fantastic to have most of our food paid for before the trip and to be unconcerned with the cost of our choices at TS restaurants. Your favorites are pretty similar to our favorites, especially Kona and HDDR. I'd say definitely try a character meal next trip, we liked Chef Mickey's for dinner and Crystal Palace for breakfast. Ohanas looks really good for breakfast also. I guess it depends on who your crew might like to meet. I wanted Cali Grill and Raglan Road this trip but they just didn't fit, and we had an ADR for Chef de France but we had too many ADRs so we cancelled this one.

We liked the food at CHH a lot, but we ate it on the fly. Their tuna sandwich is amazing.

Garden Grocer sounds like a great deal.

[TarzansKat]

Thank you for such an unbelievably thorough recap!

Oddly enough, although I love reading about what you thought of the various restaurants, I was most interested in your take on GG. I've never used one of those services and have often wondered whether it was worth it and if it really went as smoothly as a lot of people claim. Looks like for you, it was great!

[eandesmom]

Originally Posted by KathyRN137

Ed and I have the same feelings about ADRs and the Dining Plan... the first are a "necessary evil" (!) and the second is just so convenient... never mind the savings!

I second your review of Garden Grocer.

I also have made the mistake of packing too much food for the DVC Villa just because it had a kitchen. There is so much food on the DP that it really makes it unlikely that you cook full meals.... next time I'm just doing cold cereals, milk, fruit, and bottled water.

I love the "Mythical Trip" title!! DISers always have mythical trips planned it seems!
Kathy

I think mythical trips keep us sane! Bottled water is the one thing I forgot but it actually was never an issue, DH or I would get one for our beverage and then refill the bottles as needed. Plus it wasn't that hot

Originally Posted by MEK

Sorry. I am too lazy to cut and paste today (and most days for that matter), but above are my humble opinions. Thanks for the great dining review. Love it....so much detail! Can't wait to hear about the parks!

lol, no worries on the cut and paste good point on Cali Grill, we may do that! Only if MIL and her Dh are up for it but I bet they will be! And that they will suggest one night out for us anyway. Assuming all the pieces line up for the trip to even happen of course!

Thanks for your thoughts on the adr wish list!

Originally Posted by cjackearl

I love your dining recap! ITA regarding the dining plan. It was fantastic to have most of our food paid for before the trip and to be unconcerned with the cost of our choices at TS restaurants. Your favorites are pretty similar to our favorites, especially Kona and HDDR. I'd say definitely try a character meal next trip, we liked Chef Mickey's for dinner and Crystal Palace for breakfast. Ohanas looks really good for breakfast also. I guess it depends on who your crew might like to meet. I wanted Cali Grill and Raglan Road this trip but they just didn't fit, and we had an ADR for Chef de France but we had too many ADRs so we cancelled this one.

We liked the food at CHH a lot, but we ate it on the fly. Their tuna sandwich is amazing.

Garden Grocer sounds like a great deal.

Good idea on Ohana as a breakfast option....

Originally Posted by TarzansKat

Thank you for such an unbelievably thorough recap!

Oddly enough, although I love reading about what you thought of the various restaurants, I was most interested in your take on GG. I've never used one of those services and have often wondered whether it was worth it and if it really went as smoothly as a lot of people claim. Looks like for you, it was great!

I was very very pleased with them and will use them again!

[MEK]

I copied this from December TR. It's my reivew of California grill. DH and I had a solo dinner there..........


Post 9: Dinner at the Cali Grill

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


We checked in on the 4th floor, I think???? I actually forget what floor it was, but the check in process was simple. I didn't know that you took a private elevator to get to the CG. That was pretty cool!


It was about 5:30/5:40 when we checked in. By the time we were seated it was dark out. I think its cool how the twilight lasts just minutes in florida and then, poof, it's gone and its dark. We rode up on the elevator with a family of 5. I was actually surprised how many children were checking into the restaurant with their parents. I just wouldn't think to take my kids here because it's an expensive dinner and I don't think they would fully appreciate it. There are too many other less expensive restaurants that would better meet the needs of their teenage palates. But, hey, if you really want to eat at CG and you can afford to take your kids - go for it!

They handed us a beeper when we got upstairs, told us where the rest rooms were, pointed in the direction of the observation deck, and showed us the lounge where we could wait. Except we didn't need to wait at all. Our beeper went off almost instantaneously. We were seated at a fabulous table for two right along the window. It was very quiet, with no kids, and we had a spectacular view. DH told me I would not get good pics through the glass, so I did not take them. Instead, I just savored every minute of the view.

Our waiter, Steve, who was originally from Massachuesetts, told us he had worked for the CG for 19 years. He had worked for Disney for 25 years total. I guess once you get a job waiting at the CG, you probably become a lifer! He said, despite the fact that he has worked there for so long, he never gets tired of the view and he spends time everyday just soaking it in. He said he never wants to forget to appreciate it. He said he also enjoys viewing it during the different seasons because of the way the sun casts shadows on the lakes and the surrounding buildings.

When we sat down, we were presented with a very comprehensive wine list. I don't know a lot about wines, but I thought this would be a good place to share a bottle. I was drawn to the section called "Interesting white wines". I asked Steve if he could pick out a bottle for us. He recommended a wine from Monterrey which actually had a german name. It wasn't overly sweet or overly dry. In my opinion, it was perfect. I knew if Steve had worked there for 19 years, he had to know a thing or two about wines!

My appetizer was this lovely salad with blue cheese and cranberries and probably a few nuts thrown in there. It was delish. DH had the beet salad, we had these big slices of different types of beets. He was quite pleased with his salad. I refrained from bread during this meal, because I wanted to really enjoy the food.

My entree was scallops. It was three huge scallops arranged on the thin layer of potatoes and a relish made of corn. It was fabulous. They were honestly the best scallops I have ever had. I did sneak a pic of my dish, but I did not photograph DH's dish.

I asked DH what he had for dinner, cause I couldn't remember. He couldn't really remember either, but we know it was some type of seafood dish. Next time, I will have to take better notes!!!!! I know his dinner did not fail to please.

We also had dessert. It was a chocolate filled brownie with rasberry topping. We split this. It was seriously just OK. But I didn't really notice by then, because I had quite a bit of wine to drink. In fact, by our estimates, I probably drank about 3/4 of the bottle.

We were seated near a couple who were on their honeymoon. They sprinkled the table with confetti. It was really cute and I congratulated them when we left.

Well - I gotta get ready for work. We obviously stayed and watched the fireworks from the observation deck. I will post those pics later. But I will leave you with this lovely picture of the castle........

I wanted to post a little bit more information about our dinner and my final impressions.

First of all, let me say that this dinner really lived up to my expectations of a magical Christmas present. I tried to make a mental imprint of what it was like, sitting next to the window looking out over the expanses of the Magic Kingdom and the MK resorts. I have little freeze frame images in my mind of the castle changing colors, the astro orbitor spinning, and the ferry boats, outlined with sparkling lights, coming and going. Even the bus depot looked magical, sprinkled with bright, glowing lights. During dinner I kept sneaking sideways glances of the nighttime vista. I don't want to ever forget it!

I truely recommend a couple's dinner at CG. I don't think I would have enjoyed our dinner nearly as much if it had been a family affair. The cost for our dinner - 2 appes, 2 entrees, a bottle of wine, and one dessert, was about $160 with the 20% discount and the 18% gratituity. Steve was definately worth more than 18% and he was tipped accordingly. We were at our table about 1 1/2 hours. There was no rushing, yet the evening flew by. I was originally worried about our 5:45 dinner time. I thought it was too far in advance of the 8pm wishes. But it ended up being perfect. By the time we got up from the table and went out to the observation deck, it was close to 7:30pm.

The temperature was perfect for the deck. And, surprisingly, the deck was not very crowded. I envisioned a small area with people crowded together to watch the fireworks. It was not like that at all. There were several small children with their parents out on the deck, but they didn't stay long. We had no trouble taking pictures. I literally just snapped and snapped and snapped. It was somewhat labor intensive and I think I probably missed the best part of the fireworks because of my preoccupation with the camera and getting theh best shots.

[Angies1274]

Great Dining recap!! You ate at alot of great places! I think one of the best things about the DP is that it's completely paid for and that you don't have to budget everyday to make sure you are going to have enough. We've tried Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace and Ohana's for breakfast so far. I would have to say out of all of them, we enjoyed the food at Crystal Palace the best. But also because you are able to get some great pictures of the castle before the park opens on an empty Main Street!! Although we love Chef Mickey's for the characters and atmosphere, we thought the food was just alright compared to CP.

[eandesmom]

Originally Posted by MEK

I copied this from December TR. It's my reivew of California grill. DH and I had a solo dinner there..........


Post 9: Dinner at the Cali Grill

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


We checked in on the 4th floor, I think???? I actually forget what floor it was, but the check in process was simple. I didn't know that you took a private elevator to get to the CG. That was pretty cool!


It was about 5:30/5:40 when we checked in. By the time we were seated it was dark out. I think its cool how the twilight lasts just minutes in florida and then, poof, it's gone and its dark. We rode up on the elevator with a family of 5. I was actually surprised how many children were checking into the restaurant with their parents. I just wouldn't think to take my kids here because it's an expensive dinner and I don't think they would fully appreciate it. There are too many other less expensive restaurants that would better meet the needs of their teenage palates. But, hey, if you really want to eat at CG and you can afford to take your kids - go for it!

They handed us a beeper when we got upstairs, told us where the rest rooms were, pointed in the direction of the observation deck, and showed us the lounge where we could wait. Except we didn't need to wait at all. Our beeper went off almost instantaneously. We were seated at a fabulous table for two right along the window. It was very quiet, with no kids, and we had a spectacular view. DH told me I would not get good pics through the glass, so I did not take them. Instead, I just savored every minute of the view.

Our waiter, Steve, who was originally from Massachuesetts, told us he had worked for the CG for 19 years. He had worked for Disney for 25 years total. I guess once you get a job waiting at the CG, you probably become a lifer! He said, despite the fact that he has worked there for so long, he never gets tired of the view and he spends time everyday just soaking it in. He said he never wants to forget to appreciate it. He said he also enjoys viewing it during the different seasons because of the way the sun casts shadows on the lakes and the surrounding buildings.

When we sat down, we were presented with a very comprehensive wine list. I don't know a lot about wines, but I thought this would be a good place to share a bottle. I was drawn to the section called "Interesting white wines". I asked Steve if he could pick out a bottle for us. He recommended a wine from Monterrey which actually had a german name. It wasn't overly sweet or overly dry. In my opinion, it was perfect. I knew if Steve had worked there for 19 years, he had to know a thing or two about wines!

My appetizer was this lovely salad with blue cheese and cranberries and probably a few nuts thrown in there. It was delish. DH had the beet salad, we had these big slices of different types of beets. He was quite pleased with his salad. I refrained from bread during this meal, because I wanted to really enjoy the food.

My entree was scallops. It was three huge scallops arranged on the thin layer of potatoes and a relish made of corn. It was fabulous. They were honestly the best scallops I have ever had. I did sneak a pic of my dish, but I did not photograph DH's dish.

I asked DH what he had for dinner, cause I couldn't remember. He couldn't really remember either, but we know it was some type of seafood dish. Next time, I will have to take better notes!!!!! I know his dinner did not fail to please.

We also had dessert. It was a chocolate filled brownie with rasberry topping. We split this. It was seriously just OK. But I didn't really notice by then, because I had quite a bit of wine to drink. In fact, by our estimates, I probably drank about 3/4 of the bottle.

We were seated near a couple who were on their honeymoon. They sprinkled the table with confetti. It was really cute and I congratulated them when we left.

Well - I gotta get ready for work. We obviously stayed and watched the fireworks from the observation deck. I will post those pics later. But I will leave you with this lovely picture of the castle........

I wanted to post a little bit more information about our dinner and my final impressions.

First of all, let me say that this dinner really lived up to my expectations of a magical Christmas present. I tried to make a mental imprint of what it was like, sitting next to the window looking out over the expanses of the Magic Kingdom and the MK resorts. I have little freeze frame images in my mind of the castle changing colors, the astro orbitor spinning, and the ferry boats, outlined with sparkling lights, coming and going. Even the bus depot looked magical, sprinkled with bright, glowing lights. During dinner I kept sneaking sideways glances of the nighttime vista. I don't want to ever forget it!

I truely recommend a couple's dinner at CG. I don't think I would have enjoyed our dinner nearly as much if it had been a family affair. The cost for our dinner - 2 appes, 2 entrees, a bottle of wine, and one dessert, was about $160 with the 20% discount and the 18% gratituity. Steve was definately worth more than 18% and he was tipped accordingly. We were at our table about 1 1/2 hours. There was no rushing, yet the evening flew by. I was originally worried about our 5:45 dinner time. I thought it was too far in advance of the 8pm wishes. But it ended up being perfect. By the time we got up from the table and went out to the observation deck, it was close to 7:30pm.

The temperature was perfect for the deck. And, surprisingly, the deck was not very crowded. I envisioned a small area with people crowded together to watch the fireworks. It was not like that at all. There were several small children with their parents out on the deck, but they didn't stay long. We had no trouble taking pictures. I literally just snapped and snapped and snapped. It was somewhat labor intensive and I think I probably missed the best part of the fireworks because of my preoccupation with the camera and getting theh best shots.

SOLD! and then some. It is a must do, at the top of my list!

Okay now I have to eat there, sans kids! Definitely OOP. Our kids would be fine and appreciate it but DSS16 would kill us in cost lol. The others could be regulated. But still, if we can pull of a no kid night....need to do it.

See, this is why I need an ADULT only trip!

If I could only win the lottery, DH and I could go during F&W and FD for our anniversary in Nov. LOL! It however would NOT be his first choice of a couple trip.

Originally Posted by Angies1274

Great Dining recap!! You ate at alot of great places! I think one of the best things about the DP is that it's completely paid for and that you don't have to budget everyday to make sure you are going to have enough. We've tried Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace and Ohana's for breakfast so far. I would have to say out of all of them, we enjoyed the food at Crystal Palace the best. But also because you are able to get some great pictures of the castle before the park opens on an empty Main Street!! Although we love Chef Mickey's for the characters and atmosphere, we thought the food was just alright compared to CP.

We ate well I am blessed to have good, adventuresome little (and big) eaters.

I don't know what it is but I have no desire to eat at CP. Part of it is colored by a horrible experience a dear friend had recently when they'd booked her autistic son's 10th birthday dinner there. Apparently there was some kitchen issue and they were CLOSED! But neglected to inform any one who had an ADR or provide an alternate option.

They had to eat at Pecos Bills! (or whatever it's called). I've heard mixed reviews about CP but also a lot of glowing ones but I think I'm leaning towards Cape May and Kona (as I MUST have tonga toast). Maybe if I get those 2 out of my system I can look at CP with fresh eyes and Ohana. The crowds at Chef Mickey's freak me out a little bit and I'm just not sure for my crowd, we need to deal with that. lol!

[eandesmom]

please excuse the bad video skills, it's just a few snippets all spliced together but you get the idea

[carissanboys]

What a great TR! Very informative and I loved the dining recap.

Thanks for posting the video of AI. It was great to see what's it's like since I didn't get to see it in person on my trip.

[MEK]

The third girl sounded like she was pretty good, but I only heard the end. Thanks for posting the video. Was this the finale or was this a show with 4 or 5 contestants? I think the talent was a little bit better in June but they only had 3 contestants in each show. I guess a better talent pool is to be expected, considering that's when the kids are out of school.

[eandesmom]

Originally Posted by carissanboys

What a great TR! Very informative and I loved the dining recap.

Thanks for posting the video of AI. It was great to see what's it's like since I didn't get to see it in person on my trip.

Originally Posted by MEK

The third girl sounded like she was pretty good, but I only heard the end. Thanks for posting the video. Was this the finale or was this a show with 4 or 5 contestants? I think the talent was a little bit better in June but they only had 3 contestants in each show. I guess a better talent pool is to be expected, considering that's when the kids are out of school.

It's a little bit of both as we saw two shows. I should have taped more in the finale as they were all quite good, most of this is from the daytime show, not the finale, the girl in black with the short bob won the show we saw but not the finale, the guy won the finale. The first show we saw had 4 or 5 and then the finale was also 4 or 5. I was worried about using up too much memory on the camera!

[MEK]

Looking forward to your final thoughts about the parks.

[cjackearl]

Thanks for posting the video. It looks like a fun show.

[eandesmom]

Originally Posted by MEK

Looking forward to your final thoughts about the parks.

coming later today, got it started but then got sidetracked! Amazing how 3 days of camping and a job hunt will do that!

Originally Posted by cjackearl

Thanks for posting the video. It looks like a fun show.

it was, I'd go again!

[eandesmom]

What we did, what we didn’t do, what we won’t do again, what we will do again and…what we’d like to do in future trips

What we did
MK: BTMRR, Space Mountain, Teacups, POTC, HM, Main Street Barber, Buzz, Celebrations Parade, Wishes, Indy Speedway
Epcot: Soarin’, Test Track, Mission Space, Spaceship Earth, Three Caballeros, HISTK, The Seas with Nemo
AK: EE, Safari, Kali, Dinosaur, Jammin Jungle Parage
DHS: Beauty and the Beast, AI, RRC, TSM, Star Tours, Indiana Jones, TOT, HSM parade
DTD: Goofy’s
Resorts: Spa’s at WL, GF. SeaRaycers at WL, HDDR

What we didn’t do
MK: A LOT! Peter Pan, HOP, Philarmagic, Spectromagic, Jungle Cruise, SFRTH, Splash Mountain, Asto Orbiter, Laugh Floor, Tiki Room, and so so much more
Epcot: Malestrom, KP, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Illuminations, World Showcase (as in really “doing” it), WS Masks
DHS: LMA, Jedi Training, Great Movie Ride, Fantasmic
AK: FOTLK, TOL (Close up), Kids Discovery Clubs, FOW, Finding Nemo
DTD: Pin trade!
Resorts: Ride bikes, campfires, smores, outdoor movies

What we won’t do again
I can’t see us attempting WDW during President’s week or spring break/easter, again. We’ve all agreed we’ll brave the august heat instead.
I can’t see us pulling kids out of school for more than 2 days, again. I can see a couple of days, especially with the younger ones but that’s it, tops.
Order quite as much food for the room

What we will do again
Garden Grocer
Something “special” for each person
“Matching” Treats for each person
ADR’s, sit down dinner daily
Skip having a rental car

What we’d like to do for future trips
Free Dining!
A thanksgiving trip, someday
Food and wine (again) someday
Flower and garden although I’m not sure how that can ever happen with the kids along
Star wars weekend (same problem as above though)
Go out for breakfast!

And so....our trip ends.

I wish I could be in the throes of planning the next one. I have high hopes that there will be one a year from now. However....I have to find a new job first and can't plan a darn thing until that happens. But...I have high hopes and when there is a will, there is a way, and I have LOTS of will!

DH and I are really really feeling the lack of a week long vacation this summer and are truly hoping to do another trip next summer. We do have savings for it but...need the job thing resolved.

Once it is...planning will commence and it WILL include a PTR!

So I leave you with a sneak peek at the cast of characters for the next adventure and our ideal lodgings!

Thanks for coming along, I'm very sad to see it end and will just have to live vicariously through everyone elses PTR's and TR's.

The crew. Our gang, MIL, her DH. BIL is also in this picture, he's a maybe




and....THV!