*~* 59 Years of Drooling: 11 Day DxDDP Report *~* Update 2/14 California Grill

[DsnyMama]

*~* 59 Years of Drooling *~*

Hello, and welcome to the happiest little dining trip report that ever sailed! This trip is such a dream come true - I'm sharing my Disney love and obsession with my mom! She's been dreaming of Disney for 59 years and finally her dream came true! Hubby sat this trip out due to work obligations/interviews/ect.. Such a beautiful, amazing trip (with a few bumpy spots I do admit!). We had some AMAZING meals on this trip - really, really, really wonderful experiences! So buckle up, grab a dole whip, keep your hands and arms inside the trip report at all times - here we go!

*~* Cast of Characters *~*

Me: Amber - 24 - lover of all things Disney! This is my 4th trip to Disney World in the past 4 years. My favorite character is Tinkerbell. I'm a mommy, a doula, and a student studying to be a Certified Nurse Midwife.

Grammy: Suzanne - 59 - brand new Disney lover! This was her 1st trip! Her favorite character is Eeyore! She works in pharmacy at our local hospital.

Ava - 4 - Princess lover extraordinaire! This is Ava's 3rd trip to Disney! She enjoyed her 1st Disney trip at 10 weeks old! Her favorite character is Cinderella! Ava celebrated her 4th birthday this trip!!

Levi - 2 - Wild man! This little dude keeps me going! This was Levi's 2nd trip to Disney! His favorite character is Beast!

Peanut - due this summer! We found out just a few days before we left that we are expecting baby #3! Unfortunately for me, that meant 1st trimester exhaustion and morning sickness really had an impact many days on our touring plans! Baby #3 is due in July and I was about 8wks pregnant during our trip!

[DsnyMama]

*~* Restaurants *~*

November 26
Breakfast: Charlotte-Douglas International Airport
Lunch: Sanaa
Dinner: California Grill

November 27
Breakfast: Crystal Palace
Lunch: Snacks
Dinner: Boma

November 28
Breakfast: Cafe Rix
Lunch: Via Napoli (Candlelight Processional Package)
Dinner: Maya Grill

November 29
Breakfast: Akershus
Lunch: Chefs de France
Dinner: Coral Reef

November 30
Breakfast: 1900 Park Fare
Lunch: Yak & Yeti
Dinner: Flying Fish Cafe

December 1
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner: Be Our Guest

December 2
Breakfast:
Lunch: Sci-Fi Dine In
Dinner: In Room Dining

December 3
Breakfast: Kona Cafe
Lunch: Cinderella's Royal Table
Dinner:

December 4
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner: 1900 Park Fare

December 5
Breakfast: Chef Mickey's
Lunch: Crystal Palace
Dinner: Ohana

December 6
Breakfast: Captain Cook's

[DsnyMama]

We arrived at Sanaa ahead of our reservation but they were able to be seated right away!! We had asked for a window/savannah view table when we checked in but were told it was a 45-60 minute wait so we opted to go ahead and be seated! The restaurant was beautiful!


We were seated at a 1/2 booth and Ava quickly settled in and was of course thrilled with her Disney kid's menu!





The kiddos both ordered chocolate milk (complementary for Levi since he was under 3) and my mom and I both ordered the lemonade with (passionfruit/berry??) foam. It was tart and delish!!



We decided to order the bread service & dips and also the potato and pea samosas for our appetizers. Ava decided on the strawberries & grapes. The strawberries and grapes were fresh and our server brought both kids their own bowl overflowing with fruit which was very kind! The potato and pea samosas were very tasty and were served piping hot with a spicy/sweet dipping sauce. Unfortunately no pictures of those since Levi was getting VERY cranky and within a few minutes ended up like this....




The bread service was delicious! We ordered Pappadum and Naan along with Cucumber Raita, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, and Mango Chutney. I didn't care for the crispy pappadum, but the naan was absolutely wonderful!! All of the dips were wonderful - the roasted red pepper hummus was slightly spicy and wonderful, the mango chutney was sweet yet tangy, and the cucumber raita was cool and creamy! They were all wonderful!






Ava ordered the kid's "mickeyrooni & cheese" and veggies and devoured the mickeyrooni and looked at the veggies with disdain She said the mickeyrooni was very yummy and better because it was mickey mouse shaped!




For my entree I decided to have the 'famous' butter chicken. I also ordered the beef shortribs and the rice pilaf. The pilaf was well seasoned, tender, and great! The shortribs were just ok - they were kinda fatty. The butter chicken - oh my goodness this was divine! I LOVED having so much of the sauce so that I could drench my pilaf with the sauce! It was so good I wished I had ordered double butter chicken and no pilaf. This was a wonderful dish and I really enjoyed it!



My mom decided on the butter chicken, basmati rice, and shrimp with green curry sauce. She also thought the entire dish was wonderful! She mixed her rice in with the butter chicken and commented that the shrimp with the green curry sauce was to die for! The green curry sauce was her favorite - she said it was very light yet spicy and the shrimp was perfectly cooked.



For dessert I went with the trio! I considered asking for just all 3 chai creams since I had heard such wonderful things about it, but decided I'd try all three instead! The chai cream lived up to my expectations!! It was creamy, spicy, and just absolutely wonderful!! I didn't care for the chocolate cake - it was pretty standard cake in my opinion. The tropical fruit kulfi was really good too - it was creamy and lightly refreshing! I really enjoyed the dessert and Ava enjoyed that I didn't like my chocolate cake!



My mom decided to have the banana kulfi sundae and she loved it!! I was a really awesome spin on a traditional 'banana split'. She especially loved the spiced cashews!




Ava finished her meal with a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwhich which she thought was just 'ok'.





Total with tax came to $82.30, we used 3 credits on the Deluxe Dining Plan



Sanaa was a great meal!! We all really, really, really enjoyed our meal and Levi definitely enjoyed his nap!!! We would definitely return!! In fact my mouth is watering thinking about that butter chicken right now!!

[Sappermont]

Loved your first review! Looking forward to more! Thank you!!

[MLinDisney]

Great review of Sanaa! We've been there two times. We ordered many of the selections that you did! Looking forward to your reviews!

[klacey1]

Subscribing! Great job so far!

[DLFan123]

Great job so far! Looking forward to reading more. We loved Sanaa, too, and we hope to go back on our next trip in December (still on the wish list).

[DsnyMama]

Originally Posted by MLinDisney

Great review of Sanaa! We've been there two times. We ordered many of the selections that you did! Looking forward to your reviews!

Thanks! We really, really, really enjoyed it! I am totally craving that butter chicken right now

Originally Posted by Sappermont

Loved your first review! Looking forward to more! Thank you!!

Thanks so much!! Stay tuned for many delish meals!

[Sommery]

Subbing in. I can't imagine doing Disney with a two year old and a four year old. My hat's off to you! Congrats on the new baby also. Your dinner looks so yummy. I've never been to Sanaa but it's going in my list!

[DsnyMama]

Originally Posted by Sommery

Subbing in. I can't imagine doing Disney with a two year old and a four year old. My hat's off to you! Congrats on the new baby also. Your dinner looks so yummy. I've never been to Sanaa but it's going in my list!

Welcome aboard Disney with a 2yr old and a 3yr old (she turned 3 a few weeks after we got home!) was AWESOME! Ava's 1st trip was at 10 weeks old and Levi's was at 15 months old - so we start them young They had a BLAST and were so good! Now next year the plan is a 8 day Western Caribbean Disney cruise with a 4, 3, and 1yr old - THEN we might be crazy!

Originally Posted by DLFan123

Great job so far! Looking forward to reading more. We loved Sanaa, too, and we hope to go back on our next trip in December (still on the wish list).

It was very good - hope you can fit it in!

Originally Posted by klacey1

Subscribing! Great job so far!

Welcome aboard Thanks!!

[WDWaddictt]

Subbing in... Thanks for sharing!

[DsnyMama]

Originally Posted by WDWaddictt

Subbing in... Thanks for sharing!

Welcome aboard

[DsnyMama]

Life has me busy again!! School is kicking into full gear and the kids keep me busy as ever of course! But without further delay - an update!


Our first official Disney dinner during this trip was one that I was actually looking forward to the most - California Grill! We have had some amazing experiences here and I couldn't wait to be there again!

I snagged the perfect reservation just 15 minutes before Wishes began and oh wow was it perfect!! We actually headed over to the Contemporary a little early and arrived about 30 minutes before our reservation. Luckily we were able to be seated right away!

We were seated at the most perfect window-side table! A bit of to start the night of right!




Our server quickly took our drink orders - chocolate milk for both kids, orange roobios tea for grammy, water and a ginger ale for me. He also brought out warm bread that was perfectly crusty on the outside and deliciously chewy and soft on the inside! Salted butter was included.



Ava and Levi decided to split the kid's fruit salad and they were both very pleased! This fruit salad had a ton of variety compared to some of the fruit salads that consisted of just 2 types of fruits. They quickly gobbled up the entire bowl! Our server also brought the kiddos a bowl of goldfish when he brought our bread.





I was feeling especially queasy tonight so opted for something I thought would be easy on my stomach. Triple Cheese Flatbread - Pecorino, Asiago, and Provolone with Sun-dried Tomato and Arugula Pesto. This was excellent! The flatbread itself was perfectly done and crispy on the edges yet soft on the inside! The variety of cheeses was wonderful and the pesto was delish! I opted for no sun-dried tomato. Levi thought it was great too and ate over 1/2 of it!



Grammy was feeling adventurous and decided to try sushi for the first time ever! I suggested a mild favorite - California Roll. She thought it was very fresh and enjoyed the included wasabi! Not her favorite she said, but she was thrilled she tried it!




My sweet girl....




And my pirate!




We were given ample time to finish our appetizers and our server checked with us before bringing our entrees which I really appreciated since I've been at quite a few WDW restaurants where I felt very rushed between courses.

Ava & Levi decided to split the mickeyrooni and cheese and as you can see one of them was quite eager to dig in! They both really enjoyed this and I thought it was good too! Creamy and rich and very "real" tasting despite it's day-go orange color!



Grammy opted for the jumbo scallops and boy were they jumbo! It was served with a corn risotto which she thought was absolutely divine. She loved this meal and still talks about wanting more! The scallops were like butter and perfectly cooked.



I chose my favorite CG dish - Grilled Pork Tenderloin - with Goat Cheese Polenta, Roasted Mushrooms, Zinfandel Glaze, and Sage. Unfortunately the pork wasn't going down well - I'm sure it was wonderful but all day sickness was kicking my butt. Levi appreciated it however and ate one and half of the medallions! I did each all the goat cheese polenta with the glaze however and it was wonderful!




You can see he enjoyed his dinner!



And they did too!



As we were finishing our entrees we were alerted that the fireworks would begin very soon! We opted to stay seated instead of heading out on the patio area since we had the most perfect view already! The lights were dimmed and the show began!








When the fireworks ended I spotted Ava & Levi like this....



Nothing like Disney to bring out the sibling love....


While we waited for dessert Ava found a friend!



They enjoyed talking about all the rides they could see and imagining what the inside of Cinderella Castle looked like!




Soon dessert was served. The kids split a traditional ice cream sundae (picture MIA) and enjoyed it!

I opted for Heather's Cookie Sampler. Unfortunately I don't remember the technical names for each item but I do know it was good. I do know there was a chocolate cupcake spiced with cayenne pepper and it was lovely! I didn't enjoy the whoopie pies but the kids quickly gobbled them down! The peanut butter cake pop was wonderful as was the tiny cup of chocolate mouse!



Grammy opted for the Pear Tart with Almond Ice Cream and said it was spiced wonderfully and the ice cream was decadent!




We thanked our server, paid for our meal, and headed towards the monorail!






We were lucky enough to pass over just as the Electric Water Pageant was making it's way across and it was so nice to watch from the monorail!




We made our way off the monorail and on to a bus headed for Animal Kingdom Villas! After a looooooooong trek back to our room we settled in for some rest before our first official day at Disney!

[jesswindsor]

Grea read so far, subbing for more!! Your children are adorable!!

[VillianDiva]

Congrats on #3! I cannot wait for all your reviews. You have an adorable family!!