Frozen but full - Thanksgiving week at Disney -LAST TWO DAYS ADDED

[dumbotink'smom]

My husband, myself, DD-9 (who was not happy to hear that she would have to be ordering from the children's menu) and DD-5 visited Disney from 11-18 to 11-25. It was very cold most of that week especially Tuesday and Wednesday but we had a great time espeically due to some great dining experiences. Here are our dining reviews.....

11-18: We arrived just in time to check in at the Beach Club resort and take a quick peek at our room before heading over to Flying Fish on the boardwalk for dinner. It is a really beautiful restaurant with seating available around the glass enclosed kitchen. I enjoyed a glass of red wine and shared the cheese plate with the family as my husband and DD-9 had casear salads for appetizers. Our plate had 5 or 6 cheeses with honey comb, raisins on the vine and one other accompaniment that I can not recall. They all were very good. The salad also was good but how much can you say about a casear salad. For an entree' I had the potato wrapped snapper and my husband had the oak grilled atlantic salmon. Both were very good especially the red wine butter on the snapper. DD-9 also had the salmon prepared exactly as my husband's but a smaller portion as it was the children's catch of the day. This was perfect for my DD-9 who has sophisicated tastes but not a large appetite. DD-5 ordered the Mickey pasta but fell asleep on my lap before the order arrived. She did throughly enjoy it over the next several days that it sat in our room refridgerator asking for it very time we returned to the room. For dessert my husband and DD-9 had the chocolate collection (we paid oop for this meal so DD-9 would be free to choose whatever she liked from the menu). The chocolate mousse pyramid was a big hit (let's just say I was never offered a taste). My husband also like the chocolate strudel eating both his and DD-9's. I drank my DD-9's chocolate lemongrass tea but could not finish it as it was very rich. I also had an apple cake with cinnamon ice cream. I loved the ice cream but the apple cake was nothing special.

Overall grade: A

Comming up, day 2 at Epcot (Sunshine Seasons and Le Cellier) as well as breakfast from the Boardwalk Bakery.

 

[momof2disprincesses]

You're off to a great start. Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to hear more.

When you say "cold" - how cold was it? We leave in 27 days and I'm trying to figure out what the weather may be like.

 

[david a]

We were there also. It was 3 layer cold....shirt sweatshirt and windbreaker (hats). High in the low 60s. Considering how crowded the parks were, not so bad. Just plan on layering if it gets bad.

 

[dumbotink'smom]

I agree with david a, it was 3 layer cold - I had a t-shirt, fleece pullover and sweatshirt late Monday and all day Tuesday and Wednesday. It was in the 50s but felt more like the 40s due to the wind. It was unusual for that time of the year. There was a Nor'easter hitting the Carolinas and it brought unseasonable cold temps and wind to Central Florida. By Thursday it warmed up quite a bit and by Saturday we were getting hot. I would be prepared for any type weather. I had packed jeans, short sleeves and light weight jackets for my girls but we ended up buying everyone sweatshirts. People were wearing winter hats and even gloves. All the stores were putting out gloves, hats as well as heavy sweatshirts and fleece jackets to buy. They were even selling blankets and we brought one to watch Fantasmic on Monday night.

 

[dumbotink'smom]

11-19: My husband got breakfast at the Boardwalk Bakery. Cinnamon rolls. I was not impressed. They may have been better had we eaten them there piping hot but the texture was more like a croissant and they had almost no icing. The coffee was OK.

We had lunch at Sunshine Seasons in the Land pavillion in Epcot. They had a sandwich section, soup and salad section, asian section and dessert section. I had a great sandwich - smoked turkey and cheese with mozzarella cheese and tomatoes for a side, my husband had lo mein and chicken ,DD-9 had a child's portion of beef and broccoli over rice from the asian section (it was not on the children's menu but that's what she asked for and they made it for her), DD-5 had her favorite, mac and cheese with applesauce and cornbread. She ate most of everything but she is very easy to please. For dessert I had a fruit tulip with glazed fruit on top of a custard filled tart shell. I liked it but didn't get to eat it all as my DD-5 ate most of it. DD-9 loved her chocolate mousse (her favorite dessert) and my husband had asian chocolate cake (husband and DD-9 love chocolate desserts as you will see by the common thread in their dessert selections) but my husband did not like the unique taste of the cake.

Overall grade: A

For dinner we went to Le Cellier. We were seated within 10 minutes of our advanced seating time. The restaurant is not as big as I imagined which is why it gets booked so quickly. We all liked the pretzel bread especially DD-5. Husband and DD-9 had casear salad (as you can see another favorite and trend for them) Casear salad is not on the children's menu but they brought her a child's portion of the same salad my husband had. DD-5 and I had the cheddar cheese soup. I really liked it but DD-5 did not eat much (she did dip her pretzel bread into it a couple times though) I liked the bacon on top and it seemed to have onions throughout almost like a cream of onion soup. I had the filet and husband had the mushroom filet. He loved the mushroom risotto (almost licking the plate clean). I can't comment about it b/c again I was not offered a taste! I did really like the maple bbq sauce on my filet. It was sweet like Heinz 57 and the cream cheese mashed potatoes were good. A little heavy but creamy and not over seasoned. DD-9 had the child's steak which she order medium rare but half of the steak was overcooked. Again she does not have a big appetite so she ate the half that was medium rare and was full. DD-5 loves steak but wanted a hot dog. She ate it but as the waitress took her sister's plate she helped herself to the steak on her plate and polished off the second half of the steak and the rest of her sister's FF. DD-9 had ...you guessed it the chocolate mousse for dessert but she was not impressed with the taste of it. DD-5 had the s'mores of which she ate the sprinkles off the marshmallow only. My husband and I had the cream brulee and agreed we prefered the maple over the vanilla. The maple was very sweet so even though the portion was small I don't think we could have ate a larger portion.

Overall grade: A

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoying ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[dumbotink'smom]

11-20: My husband retrieved breakfast today from the Beach Club Marketplace. Cinnamon rolls again. Again not very impressive. Again a lighter texture and little icing (I was hoping for a heavy, doughy rolls with lots of thick, gooey icing)

We hung around the Beach Club that morning . DD-9 wanted to rent a boat so her and her dad did that while I took DD-5 to the pool. Even though the pool is heated there was no way I was getting in while the temp was 57 degrees so I sat by the pool huddled in several towels watching DD-5 swim.

Lunch was at Beaches and Cream. Husband had a cheeseburger with onion rings. DD-9 and I split a hamburger and onion rings. DD-5 had grilled cheese and FF but ended up eating most of my onion rings. The burgers were good but husband liked the burger he had later in the week at Pecos Bill's in MK much better. The onion rings were a little greasy. Husband had a chocolate ice cream soda which he said was great and DD-9 had a vanilla milkshake which I ended up finishing. It was OK, not too thick. DD-5 got a chocolate chip cookie as part of her children's meal which was fine by her as she is not a big ice cream lover and would choose a cookie over ice cream any day.

Overall grade: B

We had dinner at Hollywood and Vine as part of the Fantasmic package. We had to wait over 30 minutes for our table which was not fun in the freezing cold. Once we were seated our very friendly waitress reminded us that we had to be at Fantasmic not one minute later than 6:30 to get our seats. This gave us a little over an hour to eat and stop to buy sweatshirts and a blanket that we knew we were going to need. My husband was not happy as he hates to feel rushed. There were two Fantasmic shows that night but the package included the first showing only. The food appeared freshly made as everything was fully stocked. My husband, DD-9 and I loved the roast beef but other than chicken thighs with black raspberries not really much else appealed to me. My husband did enjoy the endive salad and he and DD-5 fought over the chocolate tarts from the dessert buffet. DD-9 liked the make you own sundae bar but there were not many choices on it. Just chocolate and strawberry syrup and sprinkles.

Overall grade: B

 

[Disney owl]

thanks for sharing

 

[disneymoss]

dumbotink'smom we were there the same time as you. It was down right cold. DS9 didn't even want to go swimming even if the pool was heated. Sunday 11-19 was the best day ever, cool in the morning and warm by noon.

My DH and DS9 loved Pecos Bill's too. Infact we ate there twice during the week.

Can't wait to hear more.

 

[Rantybaby]

DD-5 and I had the cheddar cheese soup. I really liked it but DD-5 did not eat much (she did dip her pretzel bread into it a couple times though)

DD-5 loves steak but wanted a hot dog. She ate it but as the waitress took her sister's plate she helped herself to the steak on her plate and polished off the second half of the steak and the rest of her sister's FF.

dumbotink'smom,

I like this kid!!!! She's funny.

 

[dumbotink'smom]

Rantybaby, if you think my DD-5 is funny read about our dining experience on 11-22 at O'hana when I get around to typing it. She was the life of the party!

 

[Crazy Hakim]

Funny how the weather has changed here in Central Florida. Today, Friday, December 1st, they are talking about reaching a record Hi of 84 degrees!

 

[pennyplanner]

Thanks for posting!

Do we have more reviews coming???

I am headed to the Beach Club next week for MouseFest. Have you posted any resort comments anywhere?

Thanks,
pennyplanner

 

[dumbotink'smom]

I didn't post any resort comments but my family loved the Beach Club. I loved how it was close enough to Epcot to walk and it was great being able to travel the world on other modes of transport besides the bus - boat to MGM, walk to Epcot then monorail to MK. My husband hated taking the bus everywhere on our last trip. We also liked the convenience of the Marketplace which is not only a gift shop but sells food (7-11 style as well as prepared foods- sandwiches, breakfast, hand dipped ice cream or I think it was gelato?) The pool was great - my best friend stayed there over 12 years ago and she still talks about the sand bottom pool and the whirlpool. The only downfall appeared to be the only one bank of elevators. If your room is far away from them, you have quite a hike to and from your room. We were far from the elevators but discovered a single elevator closer to our room that took you down near the Beach Club private pool which put you on the far end of the resort and closer to Epcot. A set of stairs brought us to a door even closer.

 

[dumbotink'smom]

11-21: We went to the Animal Kingdom today. Ate breakfast in our room -cereal bars brought from home. Lunch was at Flame Tree BBQ. My husband and I loved it. We both had the same thing - ribs, baked beans and corn on the cob with key lime pie for dessert. The ribs had a dry rub but sauce was available to add if you wanted. The ribs were very tender and the outer crust almost tasted like thick slab bacon-yum. The beans were thick and sweet but also had a little kick. The corn was just OK- I didn't finish it, saving room for the key lime pie. The pie was good, very tart and firm (maybe a little too firm). Both kids had the baked chicken wings which they both seemed to like. I think they would have eaten more if they weren't so cold. The kid's meals came with several side choices of which the kid's could pick two. I don't remember all the choices but they offered grapes, applesauce and carrot sticks (what my kids chose) and they each had chocolate cake which my husband, the chocolate lover, finished off what they didn't eat. A girl next to us was eating had a frozen lemonade which made me even colder just watching her eat- this day was the coldest of them all.

Overall grade: A


Dinner was at Boma. I know many Boma lovers will bash me but I did not like Boma at all. I really do not like the flavors of cumin and corriander and many of their dishes use these spices. I also did not like the butternut squash soup which is my favorite soup. It tasted like uncooked pumpkin pie batter to me- way too sweet for a soup. I did have some prime rib which was unseasoned and the fruit they had was awesome. Everyone else in my family did like Boma. Husband and DD-9 loved the african spiced steak and DD-5 also enjoyed the fruit and mac and cheese. My husband also raved about the sausage soup. I didn't even like the dessert selections including the much raved about zebra domes- I found them too sweet and the alcohol taste a little overpowering. Most of the desserts had alcohol but DD-9 had, of course, chocolate mousse which she said she liked.

Overall grade: B-

 

[ufgator]

Thanks for your reviews! I love FF and the snapper there. I love Boma but it's ok that you didn't like it - I wouldn't bash you.

 

[pennyplanner]

Dumbotink'smom,

Thanks for the info about the Beach Club. I will keep the elevator location in mind when we check in!

I LOVE candid reviews, i.e. favorable and not! No apologizing for an opinion please. Tolerance is the key!

--penny

 

[swankybeth]

Thanks for posting your reviews so far. Looking forward to the rest.

 

[rlduvall]

I had heard so many great things about Boma years ago, but I also am not a curry fan. My solution: We ate there for breakfast which was very fun and enjoyable . . . and now I can say I ate at Boma's

 

[dumbotink'smom]

11-21 con't: My husband took my daughters to Beaches and Cream for dessert. They all had hot fudge sundaes and all loved them, even DD-5 who is not a big ice cream fan.


11-22: My husband and daughters had lunch at Pecos Bill's. I was really not hungry as I had a fresh and filling cheese danish from the Main Street Bakery only a couple hours before they decided to get lunch. The rest of the family had eaten in the room that day while I showered so when we got to MK, I had DD-9 and husband get me something from the Main Street Bakery while I took DD-5 on Dumbo. All week long, my husband had been bringing me disappointing cinnamon rolls and given the opportunity to bring a really great one, he brings me a cheese danish instead! It was delicious though- very fresh, lots of cheese. Anyway, husband had a cheeseburger which he thought was much better than the one he had at Beaches and Cream and he loved the fixins' bar. The girls split a hamburger from the adult menu with fries. I decided to go seek out a Dole Whip. I found them in Adventureland and ordered a pineapple. It was good but I haven't been dreaming of them since like some say they do. It was unique and I am glad I tried it. Next time I might try the Citrus Swirl (frozen OJ swirled with vanilla soft serve) from the nearby Sunshine Tree Terrace.

For dinner we went to O'hana. DD-5 was quite tired from being at MK all day and I was not expecting her to eat much. The salad and fried wontons came out right away, quickly followed by the shrimp and the chicken wings. My husband and I liked the honey lime dressing on the salad. Everyone ate the fried wontons but my husband was the only one who liked the peanut sauce- of course that was fine by him! I loved the wings even though they supposedly had coriander (I didn't taste it). DD-9 ate many shrimp but they were just peel and eat shrimp not the sweet and sour ones. DD-5 was still nibbling at a wonton when it was time for the hula lesson. She immediately perked up and joined the rest. DD-9 wanted to watch her sister and begged me to come along (we were seated behind the open grill and could not see the activities from our seats). I was reluctant to leave b/c the servers had started to bring out the meats, starting with the turkey. I had only my first bite of this delicious bird and did not want to leave it. I did and DD-5 had a great time doing the hula. When I returned pork was on my plate which was good but not as good as the turkey. Later the steak and sausage arrived. The steak was OK and the sausage was overcooked, dried out and tough. That was OK b/c the turkey was back. Yeah! turkey. With my two new pieces of turkey I also had some of the very creamy cheesy potatoes which were excellent. While finishing the turkey and my husband and I discussing our plan to definitely buy a fire pit when we got home and fire grill our own turkey-it was really good turkey- DD-5 joined the gang for the cononut race. My DD-5 was trying to sweep the cononut along and began cheating by kicking the cononut with her foot and picking it up and carrying a few feet. She did this until a waiter showed her how to push the cononut by putting the broom under it. She was wide awake now excitedly waiting for the next activity. While I was watching my DD-5 cheat at the cononut race dessert had arrived and husband had already started eating it. By far the banana bread pudding with the banana foster sauce and vanilla ice cream was me and my husband's favorite dessert. DD-9 had the dish of plain vanilla ice cream that she requested and DD-5 was too enthrallled with her lei to notice dessert at all. That is until we were ready to leave, hoping to escape before another activity. As we got up she said "hey I didn't get dessert!" so we sat down and gave her the remaining ice cream from the banana bread pudding. She had a few bites when the macracas parade and limbo contest began. If you were at O'hana that night around 8:00, you'll probably remember DD-5. She had a ball marching around shaking her macracas (she again totally cheated at the limbo contest). As she passed those seated at the tables next to aisle she began high fiving those seated there. After the second or third pass, diners were actually waiting for her with hands raised in the air waiting for their high five.

Overall grade: A+ (turkey, banana bread pudding and the high fiving macracas parade definitely pushed the grade over to an A+)