16 Day Spring Break! I'm An Adult, I Do What I Want ;) *Update 8/17 Complete!

[nco91590]

There's nothing worse than a big bill for a crummy meal. I can overlook not-so-great food if the service is good...but I CANNOT overlook good food but terrible service. Ruins the whole experience for me. Maybe it's all my years waiting tables that I have a low tolerance for it. I remember your reviews last time and how you loved Bongo's...so that's a big bummer.

Those nachos look amazing tho! Putting Tambu on my 2017 Lounge Tour lol

 

[tigger536]

I love this report! You are reviewing some favorites and some ones I've yet to try!

Next time you are at Kona, try a mimosa with the POG juice. They will do this if you ask and its the same price as regular mimosa.

Also, Captain's Grill will make you an omelet fresh if you order the buffet (not the seafood one though). But this way Rob can have the best of both worlds next time!

Sorry about Bongos too. Never been there but the menu has always interested me.

Anyway, updates!

 

[cocofifi]

Love, love, love your trip report! Great installments. Oh my gosh, the Bongos waitress sounded like she was on par with the cuckoo bird at Ghirardelli's that wanted you to save the tables for customers?! I love the little courtyard at Yacht Club - so glad you posted that pic. Your Flower and Garden pics are so beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

 

[ariane37]

Servers can't go back in the kitchen?? WHAT That just makes no sense to me. DH has been wanting to try Bongos for awhile but it never makes the cut; I've never been anxious to go there and am certainly not in a rush to try it now. That whole thing was just ridiculous!

The rice gelato though looks interesting, so I may have to try that!

We're doing Capt. Grille breakfast in Nov. since we're staying at the Beach Club, it'll be very convenient and younger DS and I love breakfast. I plan to do the buffet so it was nice to read your review.

 

[hill6]

Love the Auto Train. Had a bedroom room and it was great for DD and I when she started the College Program. So much better than being in the cattle car

 

[TeresaNJ]

I can't believe the last time I checked in here was May 15th! We went on our trip May 18th-25th, and then it's just been a crazy summer since then! We eat at Yak & Yeti almost every trip, and love it. Our last time there was on our May trip. We split the Ahi Tuna Nachos & the Dragon Rolls for our app. So delicious, and way too much food! We could barely eat our entrees. I love, love, love your report! Love your close up photos of everything. We're going back in October, too, but not until the end, Oct 29-Nov 7th. So are you a South Jersey girl, too? I am assuming so since seeing Rob's Phillies shirt.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

I'm impressed you were able to eat after watching Hateful Eight!! Movies don't normally do this to me, but I about tossed my cookies during that one! It was an awesome movie though!

True! It was crazy violent.

I can't wait to try a No Way Jose. The nachos look amazing too!

No Way Jose is the best! The best reason to go to Beach Club. The nachos were delicious. I love the chips they use.

can't believe that I have got so far behind. I wonder if the juice at Kona Café is per glass or refillable for the cost. Do you know?

Best I can tell it is per glass. We usually polish it off pretty quickly and have never been offered a refill. For the cost they should certainly offer refills!

Wow! Great updates. Bongos has been off of my list for years and I see no reason to give it another shot given your treatment. The nachos at Tambu Lounge look amazing!

Thank you! I was so bummed about Bongos because I really loved it last time. We'll see if I give it another shot. The nachos are fantastic!

I think I'm totally going to start calling Disney Springs, Jeri Springs cause you totally own that joint! Or at least all of the joint minus bongo's. What a horrible experience. Servers being unable to go into the kitchen, yet unable to articulate that is just plain ridiculous. Hope you just left a souvenir glass as the tip Bonus though for WPE helping you regain your JS title!

Captains Grille looks so good. My hubby loves breakfast (me not so much but I love a bloody mary) so we definitely have to check that out.

Glad you finally go tour treats at the Tambu Lounge. And FYI they don't have the wings, but Captain Cooks has some pretty similar (and yummy) nachos

I love it! It was such a crazy situation at Bongos. I just sat there. So weird. We fell in love with Captain's Grille breakfast. Your hubby would definitely enjoy it! Good to know about Captain Cooks. I need to stay at Poly just so I can take advantage of all the food!

GORGEOUS photos in this installment! Makes me more than a little homesick for Crescent Lake.



Of course it's a word! Haven't you ever had a Dilly bar at Dairy Queen



AH! My absolute favorite drink of anywhere on property. Your 3 Bongos cups bring to mind one particular monorail crawl where I was toting around about 4 bamboo backscratchers (not all mine!) and (probably not surprisingly) managed to lose all of them AND my jacket before the night was over...

Some people are just not cut out be servers . And it sounds like your server is definitely one of them .

Thanks so much! I love Crescent Lake. Homesick indeed. I have not been to Dairy Queen. Ever. Crazy I know.

Well that just means you had a great time!!!

TOTAL SUCKER



Oh, I love your t-shirt!



Gorgeous photo.



I would devour each of these dishes. YUM!

I know right! How could you not do the buffet?

Thank you! An awesome last minute find at JC Penny right before we left. And with a coupon I had it was like $7. Winning!

That was my favorite pic from F&G. I love the way it turned out.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

There's nothing worse than a big bill for a crummy meal. I can overlook not-so-great food if the service is good...but I CANNOT overlook good food but terrible service. Ruins the whole experience for me. Maybe it's all my years waiting tables that I have a low tolerance for it. I remember your reviews last time and how you loved Bongo's...so that's a big bummer.

Those nachos look amazing tho! Putting Tambu on my 2017 Lounge Tour lol

Seriously. It hurt my heart to pay that much for that meal. I completely agree with you. Bad service just ruins a meal.

Oh yes, definitely do Tambu on your Lounge Tour! We love it there.

I love this report! You are reviewing some favorites and some ones I've yet to try!

Next time you are at Kona, try a mimosa with the POG juice. They will do this if you ask and its the same price as regular mimosa.

Also, Captain's Grill will make you an omelet fresh if you order the buffet (not the seafood one though). But this way Rob can have the best of both worlds next time!

Sorry about Bongos too. Never been there but the menu has always interested me.

Anyway, updates!

Thank you so much! Oh I definitely need to try the mimosa. I am a sucker for mimosas and that would be fabulous with the POG juice. We did actually take advantage of that option the second time we did CG this trip. It is crazy how much you could get there! I wouldn't get put off Bongos from my experience. I did love it the previous time and the food is good.

Love, love, love your trip report! Great installments. Oh my gosh, the Bongos waitress sounded like she was on par with the cuckoo bird at Ghirardelli's that wanted you to save the tables for customers?! I love the little courtyard at Yacht Club - so glad you posted that pic. Your Flower and Garden pics are so beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you so much! Oh she totally was. I think they may both have new careers by now. That courtyard was adorable! I need to stay there some time. It is a beautiful resort.

Servers can't go back in the kitchen?? WHAT That just makes no sense to me. DH has been wanting to try Bongos for awhile but it never makes the cut; I've never been anxious to go there and am certainly not in a rush to try it now. That whole thing was just ridiculous!

The rice gelato though looks interesting, so I may have to try that!

We're doing Capt. Grille breakfast in Nov. since we're staying at the Beach Club, it'll be very convenient and younger DS and I love breakfast. I plan to do the buffet so it was nice to read your review.

That's what I said. I don't know what kind of craziness is going on there. So frustrating.

I loved the rice gelato! So unique!

You will love breakfast at CG. It is my new favorite bfast spot!

Love the Auto Train. Had a bedroom room and it was great for DD and I when she started the College Program. So much better than being in the cattle car

Nice! We are not doing the Auto Train since it would still require a lot of driving for us. We catch the train in Wilmington, DE and then kick back and relax until the car service picks us up in Kissimmee. So happy to not drive this trip!

I can't believe the last time I checked in here was May 15th! We went on our trip May 18th-25th, and then it's just been a crazy summer since then! We eat at Yak & Yeti almost every trip, and love it. Our last time there was on our May trip. We split the Ahi Tuna Nachos & the Dragon Rolls for our app. So delicious, and way too much food! We could barely eat our entrees. I love, love, love your report! Love your close up photos of everything. We're going back in October, too, but not until the end, Oct 29-Nov 7th. So are you a South Jersey girl, too? I am assuming so since seeing Rob's Phillies shirt.

I feel ya! So much going on. Which is why this thread is still unfinished. Oops.

Y&Y is so good! We have been missing out all this time.

You should have much cooler weather for your upcoming trip. Lucky! I wish we were going just a bit later in the month to beat the heat.

I sure am!!! Exit one on the NJ Turnpike!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

The next day we were up early for our final AK day of the trip. It was another crazy busy day. We got back to the safari just in time for our FP at 9:25am and by the time we got off the standby line was back to Tusker House. Note to self. Don't go to Disney around Easter ever again. Don't do it. I don't have the patience for it.

Next we rode Dinosaur with our FP and then did the Nemo musical and Everest with our final FP. Huge line for the FP entrance here. We still waited 15 minutes with the FP and the line wrapped all around outside. I love Everest! I could ride it 20 times in a row.



We made our way to our lunch reservation. Yak & Yeti again! We're hooked!



We got there about noon for our 12:30 ressie, but they seated us immediately despite a lobby full of people. They took us upstairs again this time, but this time we got a window seat. It was great to sit up here and people watch.



Last time the special appetizer was the fish tacos and fortunately they had them again today. No sharing this time. Rob and I each got our own.



Amazing again! I could eat these every day.

For our entree Robb and I each ordered off the Grilled portion of the menu.



I got the steak and coconut shrimp.



Heaven! The steak was cooked a perfect medium as requested. The coconut shrimp weren't too coconuty and the dipping sauce was so flavorful. The veggies and potatoes were also delicious. This was a perfect entree. And for steak and shrimp I thought the price was not bad at all.

Rob got the Korean BBQ Ribs.



He really loved his meal as well. He was stuffed and happy.

Another awesome meal at Yak & Yeti. Totally a must-do for us now.

We were full and the park was packed so we said goodbye to AK for this trip and headed back to the resort for some down time.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

After a little down time at the room we made our way to The Springs and stopped at the Hole In The Wall bar outside at Raglan Road for a happy hour beer and then went to AMC to see a showing of Bronze, which was not great, but much better than I thought it would be. We walked back to SSR via the West Side path. On our way back tot he room we checked out the pool. It was a gorgeous night.



We hung out in the room again watching some Big Bang Theory and later decided to go to EoS for a late dinner. Once we walked over there the place was totally mobbed, so we made a last minute switcheroo to WPE. You can't go wrong with that right?

I got the Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with mashed potatoes, port wine sauce, onion rings.



So good! If you are on a quick service meal plan, this is what you get. Best deal ever if you can make your way to the Springs.

Rob got the Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Sandwich with Smoked Mozzarella, Garlic Aioli, Crispy Onion Strings and fries subbed in for the chips,



This is always delicious! He said it was better than the one he had earlier in the trip.

And I had a cookie craving so I grabbed one of their sugar cookies as well.



This was really good. I was totally craving a sugar cookie for some reason, so this hit the spot.

Steps total for the day was 15,442. With our AP we saved $3.45 at WPE and $5.40 at Y&Y. With our TiW we saved $3.30 at Hole in the Wall since it is a part of Raglan Road.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

The next day we took our time getting up and got to Epcot around 10am. We needed a pick me up, so we stopped for some frappuccinos at Fountain View.



Look at the cupcake they had of the little Easter Bunny booty! I love it!



Ah! Sweet sweet caffeine.



So, look at my name. They called out Jeff. Does that really look like Jeff? I swear. So all day I walked around saying, "My name is Jeff!" And if you get that reference we can be best friends.

Living with the Land had a short wait for a change, so we rode that. Nemo had a 15 minute wait. That was my first time ever waiting in line for that. It was weird. Then it was time to soak up all the F&G beauty.







After a full lap around WS it was lunch time!

San Angel it is. Always a favorite!



Hey lady get out of my picture!





I just love it here. Best atmosphere on property IMHO.

Since you can order delicious margaritas from La Cava here and get a TiW discount I had to have my all time favorite drink, the Avocado Margarita.





Hard to get great pics in the dark here, but this was delicious as always. So creamy and amazing.

They also brought out chips and salsa. I love their chips and salsa here.





Rob got an appetizer of the Tostados de Tinga. Pulled chicken seasoned with roasted tomato and chipotle pepper, served over tostadas with refried black beans, fresh green tomatillo sauce, queso fresco and sour cream.



I had a bite and it was delicious. Rob enjoyed it as well.

For our entree we both got the Tacos de Carne. Grilled New York strip over flour tortillas, topped with chipotle pepper sauce, scallions and avocado, served with rice and beans.



I love these! I have a hard time ordering anything else. I love the chipotle pepper sauce and the rice and beans are yummy. Rob loved it too.

Then Rob ordered the Pastel de Queso con Cajeta. Cheese cake with caramel sauce "cajeta" topped with almonds for dessert.



Once I saw it I had to order one too. This cheesecake was amazing! The caramel and almonds really took it to another level. So, so, so good!

After lunch we rode Gran Fiesta Tour, which I love and then did another lap around WS. After that we said goodbye to beautiful Epcot. *Sigh*

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

After we left Epcot we had some downtime at the room and then went over to Hole in the Wall again for happy hour which is from 3-6pm.



We were supposed to go into MK tonight because I had FP for SDMT, the parade and Wishes. I forget why we didn't go. We never go back in MK at night. I think Rob didn't want to battle the crowds. I blame him for this change.

Around 9pm we went over to Raglan Road to see if we could get a walk up, but they said the wait was 75 minutes. Yikes!


But we decided to wait it out and Rob went inside to use the rest room. As I am sitting outside by Morimoto he calls my phone and tells me he was able to grab two primo seats at the bar and to come inside. Score! And they were good seats too. Right by the live music and there was a little wood panel jutting out from the bar so I could lean on it and not have anyone next to me. Nice!

The bartender was awesome and put in our food orders right away.

Rob went with two appetizers as his meal. Nom Nom Wings tossed in a honey, chili flake, soy and ginger sauce and Scallop Forest in a golden batter served with a citrus lime dipping sauce and sweet chili jam.





I love that he will eat scallops now. He really loved them and they were huge and filling. He enjoyed the wings too, but it was so much food that he couldn't even finish the wings.

I had been CRAVING a burger, so I got the Burger 'R' Way. Char-grilled sirloin beef burger with bacon, tomato chutney and Dubliner cheddar.



OMG this was so good! I loved the tomato chutney on this and the chips were salty and delicious. This totally scratched an itch.

We love Raglan Road. The food is always good and so is the service. This place is Rob's only request for our upcoming October trip. It is also maybe the only place where I branch out and try something different every time.

Today's totals are 17,720 steps thanks to all those times around WS. We saved $1.30 with our AP on earrings I bought at the Mexico pavilion. With TiW we saved $10.40 at RR and $18.50 at San Angel.

Okay people. Just 3 days left of dining left to report. Thanks for hanging in there with me. Between work and school this DR is taking forever, I know, but the end is in sight! I am off for wine adventures at Seneca Lake this weekend, so feel free to join me on Instagram to drink along with me and I will be back next week for the conclusion of this DR!

 

[Klinger13]

Wow, you had a string of winners in today's updates! Everything looked DELICIOUS! And I for one will be sad when this DR is over - I really enjoy your posts and pictures.

 

[TeeterTots]

Okay people. Just 3 days left of dining left to report. Thanks for hanging in there with me. Between work and school this DR is taking forever, I know, but the end is in sight! I am off for wine adventures at Seneca Lake this weekend, so feel free to join me on Instagram to drink along with me and I will be back next week for the conclusion of this DR!

OMG!!! You are not at Seneca Lake!!! I live on Seneca Lake! I'm here for the summer at my lake house!!!!

 

[ariane37]

"My name is Jeff!" I get it! My nephew and sister say this all the time and he even made a magnet in art class that says it Its on their fridge, I need to have her take a pic and send it to me now!

I've had San Angel booked a number of times and have then cancelled due to all the negative reviews, but now we have it booked for our adults only trip next month and I intend to keep it If for no other reason than I can FINALLY try an avocado margarita without standing in a loooong line at La Cava! Your food looks really good though and I'm looking forward to trying it out.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Wow, you had a string of winners in today's updates! Everything looked DELICIOUS! And I for one will be sad when this DR is over - I really enjoy your posts and pictures.

It was a good run of awesome food those days! Thank you! I'm so glad you have been enjoying my DR!

OMG!!! You are not at Seneca Lake!!! I live on Seneca Lake! I'm here for the summer at my lake house!!!!

Oh wow! I am so jealous! It is beautiful on the lake. I have family in Painted Post I will be staying with and we are hitting up the wineries on Seneca and Keuka Lake on Sunday and Monday. I go for a long weekend every summer. I love it!

"My name is Jeff!" I get it! My nephew and sister say this all the time and he even made a magnet in art class that says it Its on their fridge, I need to have her take a pic and send it to me now!

I've had San Angel booked a number of times and have then cancelled due to all the negative reviews, but now we have it booked for our adults only trip next month and I intend to keep it If for no other reason than I can FINALLY try an avocado margarita without standing in a loooong line at La Cava! Your food looks really good though and I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Haha I'm glad you got the reference!

I'm glad you are trying San Angel. I love it there. I love watching the people go by on the ride and the dark quiet atmosphere and the food and service has always been great every time I have gone. I hope you end up loving it too!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

You have SOLD me on staying at Saratoga for a Disney Springs focused weekend. I love how easily you can hop over! And SO much good food there now, definitely need several meals to try everything I want to! I could go for that burger or meatloaf right now at 8am! Raglan one of my favorites although last time we got a really crappy table in the back room that dimmed the overall experience quite a bit.

Speaking of tables (maybe I have a problem, LOL), I also love San Angel but good gravy those tables are packed tightly in there. And I wish you could order the guacamole from La Cava. If you like Mexican, you'll have to try Frontera Cocina in Disney Springs - so yummy!!!!

I don't want your report to end! So you will have to go back ASAP, that's all there is to it!

 

[kastoney]

These reviews are just reminding of all the places I need to try and get to on our next trip. Its's been a few trips since we've been to Raglan or San Angle and love both. Especially the margaritas! And your hubbys wings and scallops look amazing. And on the amazing front those tacos at Yak n Yeti look so good!!!!! We'll definitely be going next month and I hope they still have them. Like you its become a must for us too. Oh so good.

Speaking of good, who knew there was a happy hour anywhere in the world????? If only every place did this I would so be set.

 

[dizzy daisy]

Nice updates, Jeff

Only 3 days left? Oy. I've lost track of how many movies you've seen. I've never considered a stay at Saratoga Springs but you have me curious about the resort. I've only been to the property once, back in '06, and it didn't impress me much and I've just dismissed it as 'not for me' ever since. Now that I've typed that out I realize it's been ten years - omg, lol.

Enjoy your weekend away!

 

[hill6]

Nice! We are not doing the Auto Train since it would still require a lot of driving for us. We catch the train in Wilmington, DE and then kick back and relax until the car service picks us up in Kissimmee. So happy to not drive this trip!



I sure am!!! Exit one on the NJ Turnpike!

I had no idea there was a train from Wilmington that went to Kissimmee. Will look into that.

NJ Turnpike Exit 9 (10 or 11) here.