11 Days of Deluxe Dining,BOG and LOTS of SIGS! Completed

[sweeteypie1118]

We had a fantastic lunch at Yak & Yeti and I was very much looking forward to trying Jiko for the first time. I had a mishap after lunch. I dropped and broke my camera while waiting for the doors to It's Tough Be a Bug to open. A bit of a tiff and some tears followed We got past it and managed to enjoy the rest of our day at Animal Kingdom. We got to the lodge about 45 minutes early so we could explore a while and so I could search for an outlet to charge my cell phone since it was the only way for me to take pics of our food!! It took pretty good pics though

I really liked the atmosphere in here. It had a very cozy and intimate feel. They start you out bringing hot towels to the table. I really had the urge to use it all over my face and neck, but restrained myself and kept it to just my hands.

Artisanal Cheese Selection

This was my choice. I love me a good cheese plate, and this was indeed one of the best.

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Crispy Beef "Bobotie" Roll

Cucumber Raita, Green Mango Atjar, and Roasted Groundnuts ​

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This was my son's choice. He had a flatbread picked out, but they didnt have it on the menu anymore. He enjoyed this very much though. It had a nice flavor, but I thought the filling was a little on the dry side.

Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin Mealie Pap, Chakalaka, White Truffle Oil, and Micro Cilantro

This is what DH ordered. I spent a good 5 minutes saying "CHAKALAKA" after he ordered it, so it was worth it to me for just that Say it...it's fun... CHAKALAKA. DH really enjoyed this and cleaned his plate in no time. The meat was cooked perfectly and very tender.

Oak-grilled Filet Mignon w/ South African Rd Wine Sauce

This was my choice. I ordered it with Mac & Cheese instead of the grain pilaf it came with after reading so many reviews rave about the mac & cheese. I am so glad I did because the mac & cheese was fabulous! This was no kiddie mac & cheese. So creamy and delicious. The filet was cooked perfectly and had a delicious sauce.

Chermoula-roasted Nigerian Prawns English Pea Nage and Saffron Rice with Orange and Olive Salad

This is what my son ordered. I wanted him to order the short ribs because he loved it at Citricos, plus I wanted to try it too! DH talked him into this though, probably because he wanted to try it My son didn't like it at all, so DH got to eat it. He loved my mac & cheese, so I ordered him his own, so he was happy. DH said the prawns were very good, but they were very spicy. Our server did tell us this ahead of time. It was too spicy for my sons taste. Those suckers were HUGE.

Maize Crusted Atlantic Black Grouper w/ Tomato Butter Sauce

This is not my picture. I had to take it off the internet because I didn't get a shot of this. I thought I had taken one, but apparently not since I can't find it. DH ordered this at our servers suggestion when he was undecided between this and the turkey dinner they had for Thanksgiving. He told us that the sauce has been on the menu since the beginning and it is their signature sauce. I'm not a fish lover, but OMG, I wanted to lick the sauce off his plate I kept dipping my filet in it. DH really loved the grouper too.

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Sweet Potato Bread Pudding
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Pecans, Rum Caramel, and Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream [/FONT][/FONT]

This is what DH ordered. He loves sweet potato pie, so he decided on this. I had to give it a try also and really liked it. We both enjoyed it very much. The sauce was very good, and the bread pudding was nice and moist.

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Milk Tart
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Port Reduction, Figs, and Goats Milk Balsamic Ice Cream

My son was already nodding off, so I knew he wasn't going to eat dessert. I ordered this "for him" so we could try it. The tart was pretty good, but the ice cream was a little too "goaty"

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Chocolate and Tea Safari ​

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Vanilla Rooibos-Tanzanian Chocolate Cake, Free Form "Kit Kat", and Green Tea Ice Cream

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This is what I ordered. I was hoping to order the coconut bread pudding, or one last cup, but neither were on the menu anymore It was pretty good, not great. I wasn't too crazy about the free form kit kat.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable meal, and we learned from my son's entree that mom is always right We would definitely eat here again. ​

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[Rumpletinker]

Jiko is one restaurant I definitely have to try! If for nothing else then the boar appetizer and the macaroni and cheese. :

 

[sweeteypie1118]

Jiko is one restaurant I definitely have to try! If for nothing else then the boar appetizer and the macaroni and cheese. :

The mac and cheese is sooo good! You have to try that tomato butter sauce too. I was overjoyed to see I have the recipe in one of my Disney cookbooks.

 

[TigerKat]

That sweet potato bread pudding would have been all mine, lol!!!

 

[WDWaddictt]

I am joining in! Thanks for sharing!

With your reviews I want to try Liberty Tree Tavern and Yak & Yeti, the both looked fabulous!

Sorry to hear about your camera.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Thanks for the great reviews and wonderful pictures. Even the cell phone pics. Can't wait to try some of the restaurants when we go.

 

[sweeteypie1118]

I am joining in! Thanks for sharing!

With your reviews I want to try Liberty Tree Tavern and Yak & Yeti, the both looked fabulous!

Sorry to hear about your camera.

I think you will like them both. We really enjoyed them!! My biggest concern when I broke my camera was ..how am I going to take pics of our food for my review on the disboards?!! It wasn't a super expensive camera. I bought a new one when we got back.

 

[sweeteypie1118]

Thanks for the great reviews and wonderful pictures. Even the cell phone pics. Can't wait to try some of the restaurants when we go.

I'm so glad you are enjoying the reviews and the pics. I wish some of them came out better. Do you have your next trip planned?

 

[aceys_h0ney]

I understand how you feel. It was my first time there, so I have no other experience to compare it to. If you really loved it there, then stick with it and just start out the meal telling your waiter that you don't want to be rushed through your meal and would like time to enjoy each course before the next comes out. Have you ever tried Kona Cafe? We ate there on our last day and thought the food was much better than 'Ohana. The potstickers were delicious!!

Haven't tried Kona yet but I will look into it. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Tracerr00]

I was so happy to read your Jiko review! I'm going to order exactly what you ordered. Thanks for giving me the mac and cheese idea. I'm so excited to eat here! (and your photos look great by the way!)

 

[sweeteypie1118]

I was so happy to read your Jiko review! I'm going to order exactly what you ordered. Thanks for giving me the mac and cheese idea. I'm so excited to eat here! (and your photos look great by the way!)

You're very welcome. I got the mac & cheese idea from here. That's what I love about these boards. You get so many good ideas and find out things you never would have known. Thanks to these boards, I learned that by changing my trip to arrive one day earlier, I would get free dining for my entire stay. I upgraded to deluxe, but it still saved me a lot of money since I planned on deluxe anyway.

I think you will be very happy with Jiko and you can't go wrong with the cheese plate, and the filet with mac & cheese!

 

[sweeteypie1118]

The day after Thanksgiving, and I finally gave my family a break and let them sleep in By sleep in, I mean they were allowed to sleep until 8:30 intead of 6 Yeah, yeah, they complained all week about me getting them up early and having intineraries, but did anyone thank me that they never had to wait more than 10 minutes on line for anything..NO! Ingrates

Since we had already been to Epcot a few times, the plan was to be there in time for World Showcase to open and enjoy Holidays around the World. This is where you visit each country and see a little show about the country's holiday traditions. Many times the storyteller is the country's version of Santa. Well, that was my plan. In reality, my son and DH ditched me and went back to Future World I had a lovely time on my own thankyouverymuch. I also saw many of the entertainment acts in each country that I always seem to miss when I'm in Epcot.

We met up in France for lunch. We've been here before, but this would be the first time since Remy was added.

Flatbreads

A la flamme Alsacienne - Alsace specialty. Cream fraiche, onion and bacon

There were 3 other slices to this, but I completely forgot to take a pic before we attacked it! We've had this before and I was so glad they still had it on the menu. Bacon, onion, flaky, crispy dough..what's not to like?

Tomate et Fromage de Chevre - Tomato and goat cheese

Again, as stated above, we attacked the rest before taking the picture. Not as good as the bacon one, but still very tasty. This was the first time trying this one. How can it compete with bacon though?!

DH got the lobster bisque but polished that off before we remembered the pic. I did manage to get my spoon in there a few times without getting stabbed with a fork and yummy...it was really good!

Gratin de Macaroni - Baked macaroni with cream and gruyere cheese

I planned with my son ahead of time to split this and the croque monsieur between us so we could have the best of both worlds. He ate a lot more than his half though! This was the first time having this. I loved it, and so did he. The sauce was so creamy and rich.

Croque monsieur et sa salade verte - the classic French toasted ham and cheese sandwich served with a green salad

My son generously let me eat all the salad This was pretty good. I think I liked the one at Be Our Guest better. The melted cheese on top of this one was kind of dry and dare I say...too cheesy? I plucked off the cheese that was on top of the bread. It was good, but didn't compare to the mac & cheese

Demi poulet fermier roit, Pommes puree au basilic et tomate braisee
Half of an all-natural rotisserie chicken, basil-flavored mashed potatoes and braised tomato

This was DH's entree. I can't say much about it other than it was cooked nicely and juicy. I never get overly excited about roasted chicken!

Chocolate Mousse

This was my choice. It was very chocolatey and rich. The cake that came on the side was meh.

Profiterolles au Chocolat - Puff choux with vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce

My son ordered this basically so he could suck the ice cream out from the profiteroles. I didn't get a taste of this.

I'm not sure what this is called. I can't find it on any of the le chefs menus online. DH ordered this. It was delicious! I liked it even more than the mousse. It wasn't just cake. It had a thick custardy layer along with the strawberries. I couldn't keep my fork out of it! I'm not sure if they sell this at the bakery. I wish I had thought to look because I would have liked to get another slice for later.

Remy only made a very brief appearance at each table, but it was still fun. My son took off to explore on his own, and I left DH to take care of the bill because I wanted to catch Serveur Amusant which was going to be starting any minute outside the restaurant. If you have never seen it, I highly recommend making sure you catch one of their performance. It is very entertaining.

 

[sweeteypie1118]

Being on the deluxe plan, we had 60 snack credits to get through. It's a tough job, but somebody had to do it! It was actually tough to get through those credits because we were always stuffed. Most times we bought things, took a bite or two and brought it back to the room. I had a big ziploc bag full of snacks in the room we would nibble on here and there...usually for breakfast

Paw Print Brownie

I actually did not care for this that much. I know..shocking! I only took a few bites, then chucked it. I thought it was way too sweet and way too much icing which was also too sweet and not very good. The chocolate paw print tasted kind of waxy and weird.

Red Velvet Cake Pop

This I really did like! Aside from the marshmallow ears (bleh) The cake was nice and moist and very tasty

Pumpkin Cupcake from Captain Cooks

This was another winner. The cake was moist and flavorful. It had just the right amount of spice. The cream cheese frosting was light and fluffy and not overly sweet.

Rice Krispie Treat from Karamel Kuche

My sons favorite from there. I had some of this too. It really was very good with the chocolate and caramel.

Peanut Butter Caramel Cookie

This was ok. A little on the dry side

Chewy Caramel Bar

My absolute favorite snack! I love these!! Buttery shortbread crust with creamy caramel and more shortbread crumbs on top. YUM!!! I had them last year and couldn't wait to get them again.

Caramel Corn

This was our first time trying this. It was delicious!! Not your average caramel corn. We were trying not to get too filled up before dinner and only had a little and saved the rest. Bad move. It was chewy the next day and ended up in the garbage This must be enjoyed fresh. I'm sorry it went to waste because it was really good!

Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding from Sunshine Seasons

We love, love, loved this!! It was on my must try list. I ran over and got it right after riding Soarin and sucked it down while waiting to go on Living with the Land. This was sooo good! It was moist and really delicious. DH was loving it too. I enjoyed it more than the 'Ohana bread pudding.

Napoleon from France

Another of my favorite treats. I love that it has powdered sugar topping and not that too sweet icing many napoleons have. The filling was so creamy and delicious. Not that sometimes gummy filling you find. I was bummed that half of this ended up in the garbage. I was too full to finish it, so put it in my room fridge, but my son's leftover pasta from Yachtsman was in there too and my beloved napoleon smelled and tasted like truffle oil the next morning

Quiche and Ham & Cheese Croissant

They are cold in this pic. I didn't have them heat them up because I bought them to share for breakfast the next morning. I heated them up in the microwave. They were fantastic!!

 

[sweeteypie1118]

We booked lunch at the Brown Derby for the Fantasmic package. We usually do Mama Melrose for Fantasmic, but since we were on the Deluxe plan, we had the credits to use. Plus I was a little sick of MM. I don't know why, but that place never thrills me.

I think Disney is going to have me turning my nose up now to restaurants who dont put sea salt on their butter Just about every restaurant we went to had sea salt on the butter. Mama like!

Brie, Midnight Moon and Prosciutto Cake with Tete de Moine Petals, and an olive-roasted vegetable salad

This is what I chose for my appetizer. I was having trouble deciding between this and the mushroom napoleon until my son said he was getting the napoleon. I figured I'd get to have a few bites of his I wasn't sure what this was going to look like because I don't recall seeing any pics or reviews for it on the boards, but figured it had to be good based on the ingredients!! It was a nice sized appetizer. The prociutto and cheese on the side was a nice addition. I shared some of it and the olives with DH since there was so much of it. Yes, I let him and my son try the cake too! The cake itself was a little on the dry side, but it had very good flavor. I guess I was expecting more of a creamy quiche like consistency.


Crisy Phyllo Napoleon of Bleu Affine - with wild mushroom duxelles, griled portobello, golden chanterelles, and a fig reduction

My son seems to have a knack for ordering things that his mother will like better than her own! The pics of this are a little deceptive. It was pretty small. I got a tiny taste before he inhaled it. He only left me the blue cheese From what I did taste, I can tell you..this rocked! That little app packed a bunch of flavor.

Blue Lump Crab Spring Rolls - snow crab claw and a Asian slaw with spicy miso aioli

This was DH's choice. The crab claw was a nice bonus. The slaw was fresh and crisp and the aioli had a nice little kick to it. The spring roll had good flavor, but again, I thought the filling was a little dry. I seem to complain a lot about things being dry! DH enjoyed it though.

Roasted Free-range Ashley Farms Breast of Chicken - stuffed with sweet pepper, chorizo, and smoked cheddar cheese over a celery root puree. Corinader dusted asparagus and a roasted red papper sauce

My son ordered this. DH had his eye on it big time, but decided on something else when my son decided to order it. My son loved it. He was so funny..while walking out of the restaurant, he told a CM to give his "compliments to the chef" The CM gave him a piece of paper and a pen so he could write a little note to the chef. I thought that was cute. He left the aparagus behind, but he very much enjoyed the chicken. The chorizo and pepper gave it a lot of flavor. I don't think he knew what the puree was, but he ate it all.

Duck Two Ways - Duck pastrami over a pear and melon salad with white balsamic, honey and vanilla reduction and Duck confit with farro risotto and spicey onion citrus jam

This is what DH ordered. He was busy staring at my sons chicken and wishing he got that instead, but once he dug in to his own plate, he was happy with it. The plate was a lot prettier than what the pic shows. I only had a tiny tiny taste of this because I can't wrap my head around the fact that duck (a bird) can be rare, but chicken ( ALSO a bird) has to be fully cooked. I know in my head its the way duck should be cooked, but it still gives me the heebie jeebies. The menu says served with farro risotto. I'm not sure if thats what it said on the restaurant menu or not, but it looked and tasted like a polenta cake..which was really good!

Charred Filet of Beef - over Zellwood corn and Pancetta Risotto, arugula pesto and pickled rainbow carrots

This was my entree. It was pretty good. The filet, although not the best of the trip, was cooked perfectly. I wasn't wowed by the risotto. It wasn't big on flavor. The sauce didn't wow me either.

Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower - on Cocoa-Almond Cookie and Bananas Foster

My son and I both ordered this. We both love banana. Not like his weird father that hates it This was one non ice cream dessert that he actually ate. He only ate about 1/3 of it because he was stuffed. I got slightly further. I liked everything about this. Even the light, crisp cookie it came with.

Chocolate Three Ways - Praline Milk Chocolate Cream, crunchy ganache and orange chocolate mousse

This was DH's dessert, althought I think I ate as much of it as he did! We both really enjoyed it. The praline cream was so silky and delicious. The orange chocolate mousse had a wonderful orange flavor without being overpowering.


Overall, we enjoyed the Brown Derby. It doesn't rank up there with the other signature restaurants though. We wouldn't consider it a must do again.

 

[Tracerr00]

During our last trip my DD and I had that bacon/onion flatbread as well as the mac & cheese and we loved them both too!! I'm totally dying to eat here again in February but sadly, we can't fit it in. But maybe I could swing the bread pudding at Sunshine Seasons... I've heard so many good things about that!

I've never tried HBD but so far I don't have an overwhelming desire to eat there. The food looks pretty good though!

 

[sweeteypie1118]

During our last trip my DD and I had that bacon/onion flatbread as well as the mac & cheese and we loved them both too!! I'm totally dying to eat here again in February but sadly, we can't fit it in. But maybe I could swing the bread pudding at Sunshine Seasons... I've heard so many good things about that!

I've never tried HBD but so far I don't have an overwhelming desire to eat there. The food looks pretty good though!

Yeah, that was some good mac & cheese!! I would definitely try to swing by to SS and get the bread pudding after riding Soarin' in the morning. I didn't see it at first and thought they didnt have it. I had to ask of course. I was dying to try it ! They serve it where you order the breakfast platters.

I can't really say anything bad about BD, I just don't think it ranks as high as the other sigs.

 

[sweeteypie1118]

Our 10th and last dinner in Disney We had some amazing meals on our trip. We saved Artist Point for last since we were staying at WL. I passed it every night in the lobby coming back from other dinners and was very much looking forward to finally trying it. We had an 8:40 ADR. We spent the day at Hollywood Studios and wanted to make a late ADR so we would have time to see Fantasmic and Osbourne Lights again.

We were seated immediately. I loved the atmosphere in the restaurant. It had a very calming and soothing effect. There was no question about what I was going to get for an appetizer. I have been reading about this for months and could not wait to try it....

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Smokey Portobello Soup ​

with Roasted Shiitakes, Chive Oil, and Sourdough Croutons

Don't you hate when something is hyped so much, then you find out that it didn't live up to all the hype? Well, luckily this wasn't one of those times!! Ohh....this was so good. Rich and flavorful. Not too smokey. I wanted to eat my way out of a vat of this! I loved the sourdough croutons and roasted shiitake mushrooms on top. My son also got this and loved it. He would have used his fingers to get everything out of the bowl if we weren't in a nice restaurant. Heck, so would I!!

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Kettle-steamed Penn Cove Mussels
[FONT=Courier New,Courier New][FONT=Courier New,Courier New]"Cioppino" Nage and House-made Sourdough Crostini

This was DH's app choice. I'm not a mussel eater, so I didn't try it. My son quickly stole the sourdough crostini. I did try that He enjoyed these, but he did say he liked the ones at Narcoossees better.

We had the most wonderful and attentive server. I wish I could remember his name. I remember that he was from Morocco. He put Mickey straws in all our drinks Our entees were taking a little long to come out. We didn't mind. We were enjoying the relaxing evening, but my son was starting to nod off a little. Our server noticed this, and said he would light a fire under the kitchen to get our entres out as soon as he could. He came back with our food minutes later.

Crispy Buttermilk-dipped Airline Chicken
[FONT=Courier New,Courier New][FONT=Courier New,Courier New]Herb Spätzle, Roasted Brussels Sprouts,
Bacon Jam, and Garlic-Tomato Broth

This was my sons choice. He perked up a bit when it came out This was really good! He enjoyed it very much. Well, as much as he could while fighting off falling asleep! The chicken had a nice crisp crust and was juicy on the inside. The herb spatzle was really yummy! I have a new appreciation for brussel sprouts. I no longer think of them as vile miniature cabbages I had a few dishes during this trip that had brussel sprouts and have come to the decision that I just never had them cooked well. I loved them at Citricos with the bacon in it.

Grilled Hand-cut "C.A.B." Filet Mignon
[FONT=Courier New,Courier New][FONT=Courier New,Courier New]Wild Mushroom Ragoût, Savory Truffle, and Hazelnut Crunch Donut filled with Sweet Potato,
Sage, and Red Currant Gastrique

This was my choice. It was really difficult to get a good shot of this with my cell phone because the plate was very long! I don't know if you can tell from the pics, but between the filet and the "donut" was a bone with the marrow. The filet was cooked perfectly.... tender and juicy. The mushroom ragout made each bite of filet even better. The surprise star of the plate was the hazelnut crunch donut with sweet potato. Holy cow...this was AMAZING!! The donut was light and crispy on the outside. Not heavy and greasy at all. The sweet potato on the inside was light and fluffy. It was a perfect balance between sweet and savory. My husband was in love with my donut and kept asking for more bites. When our server came to check on us, I jokingly said that DH was eating all my donut. A few minutes later, he came back with a hot fresh donut on a little plate for DH.

Slow-roasted 64°C Buffalo Strip Steak
[FONT=Courier New,Courier New][FONT=Courier New,Courier New]Zellwood Corn-Sausage Hash,
Yukon Gold Potato Smear, and
Blackberry Pinot Noir Reduction

This was DH's choice. He loved everything about this dish. He said the buffalo was cooked perfectly. The potatoes were rich and creamy, and the corn and sausage hash had a great flavor. Especially when you got a bit of potato and the delicious sauce in the same bite.

At this point, my sons face was about to hit the table, so he went back to the room to go to sleep and leave all the packing for mom and dad

Just like I knew I had to try the mushroom soup for an app, I knew I had to try this for dessert...

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Artist Point Cobbler . . . Seasonal Berries
and House-made Black Raspberry Ice Cream

Without tasting it yet, I was in love with how it looked! It was visually stunning. The cobbler was warm and had a bit of crispness to the outside, and had a nice fluffy texture on the inside. This was pure comfort food. If there was one thing I would change, it would be a bigger cobbler to fruit ratio. I wanted more of that yummy cobbler to go with those plump, juicy berries on top. The black raspberry ice cream on top took it to a whole new level

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Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée with
Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti

This was "my sons" dessert. Well, you didn't think I wouldn't order dessert for him just because he wasn't there....did you?!! Creamy, decadent deliciousness! Yup, I polished this one off too. I think I left most of the biscotti behind. A girl has to show some restraint

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Local Orange Blossom Lace Cannoli with
Mountain Berry Mousse,
White Chocolate Anglaise, Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam,
and Micro Basil

This was DH's choice. Neither of us loved this one. We knew it wasn't going to be what your typical cannoli is, so it wasn't that. We weren't crazy about the filling. It was more creamy than mousse like which you wouldn't think was bad, but it was an odd creamy texture that was somewhat tart.

We were pretty much the last ones in the restaurant. Our server came over and had a very long conversation with DH. They were talking about our recent hurricane in NY. Now, DH can talk anyones ear off. They had to be talking at least 20 minutes, but our server seemed genuinly interested in holding up the conversation. I was trying to catch DH's eye so I could shoot him the "daggar look" because it was getting very late and I wanted to get as much packing done as possible before bed because we had an 8AM ADR for breakfast at the Grand Floridian and a morning at Magic Kingdom planned. I was also thinking that I should probably check to see that my very tired son actually made it into the room and wasn't asleep in the lobby or asleep on the floor outside our room because he couldn't get the door to open

We had a wonderful experience at Artist Point. I very highly recommend it. We would definitely come back here again.


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[Eastern]

Great review and pictures

 

[dad4dis]

Great Pics!

 

[starousse]

What excellent reviews!